| |  | |
| Aikman |
IRVING, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys waived Troy Aikman on
Wednesday, no longer convinced that the quarterback who led them to
three Super Bowl titles is healthy enough to be their starter. Aikman, however, is convinced he can still play.
"This was a mutual and amicable decision," Aikman told ESPN's Ed Werder on Wednesday. "I'd like to play somewhere. Whether that's able to work out or not, I don't know. There's nothing definitive."
|
Aikman timeline
|
|
April 1989: First player taken in the NFL draft and first player
drafted by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
April 20, 1989: Signs six-year contract.
Sept. 10, 1989: First rookie QB to start opener for Dallas since Roger
Staubach in 1969. Goes 17-of-35 for 180 yards and two interceptions
in 28-0 loss at New Orleans.
Nov. 12, 1989: After five-game absence with broken finger, sets NFL
rookie record with 379 yards passing against Phoenix but also
suffers first known concussion of his pro career.
Sept. 9, 1990: Completes 13-of-29 passes with a touchdown and an
interception in first career victory, 17-14 over San Diego.
Oct. 21, 1990: Leads Cowboys on 80-yard scoring drive, throwing
28-yard TD pass to Michael Irvin with 1:58 left, in 17-13 win
against Tampa Bay.
Dec. 23, 1990: Separates shoulder early in game against Philadelphia,
forcing him from the game as well as season finale. Cowboys lose
both games, missing the playoffs.
Sept. 29, 1991: Named NFL Offensive Player of Week for fourth-quarter
12-16 comeback win over Giants.
Nov. 24, 1991: Injures ligament in right knee and misses final four
regular-season games.
Jan 5, 1992: Steve Beuerlein starts playoff game against
Detroit, but Aikman replaces him late in first half en route to
38-6 loss.
Dec. 6, 1992: Completes 7-of-8 passes in last-minute TD drive to beat
Denver, 31-27.
Dec. 13, 1992: Reaches 10,000 career passing yards in 52nd game,
faster than any other quarterback in team history, in loss to
Redskins.
Dec. 21, 1992: Completes 18-of-21 passes in 41-17 victory over
Atlanta.
Jan. 17, 1993: Completes 24-of-34 passes for 322 yards in NFC
Championship game over San Francisco, which Dallas won 30-20.
Jan. 31, 1993: Is Super Bowl XXVII MVP, completing 22-of-30
passes in 52-17 victory over Buffalo.
Oct. 23, 1993: Completes 18-of-23 passes for 137 yards in 36-14 win
over Green Bay. Named NFC Player of the Month for October.
Jan. 2, 1994: Closes out year with back-to-back 80 percent
completion games against Washington (16-of-20) and overtime win
against Giants to win NFC East (24-of-30).
Jan. 16, 1994: Is 28-of-37 for 302 yards with three touchdowns
in divisional playoff game against Green Bay.
Jan. 23, 1994: Leads Cowboys to 28-7 lead before suffering
third-quarter concussion in NFC Championship game against 49ers.
Cowboys win 38-21.
Jan. 30, 1994: Comes back from concussion to beat Buffalo in
Super Bowl XXVIII, completing 19-of-27 passes (70 percent) for 207
yards in 30-13 victory.
Oct. 9, 1994: Named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his
performance in 38-3 win over the Cardinals.
Nov. 7, 1994: Is 19-of-24 passing in 38-10 win over the Giants.
Jan. 8, 1995: Is 23-of-30 for 337 yards as the Cowboys beat
Green Bay in a divisional playoff game.
Jan. 15, 1995: In 38-28 loss to San Francisco, sets NFC
Championship game records for passing yardage (380), attempts (53)
and completions (30) with three interceptions.
Sept. 17, 1995: Is 9-of-11 in the fourth quarter and overtime period
in a 23-17 comeback win over Minnesota.
Jan. 7, 1996: Completes 17-of-24 for 253 yards in a 30-11
playoff win over Philadelphia.
Jan. 14, 1996: Completes 21-of-33 for 255 yards and two TDs in
38-27 NFC Championship game win over Green Bay.
Jan. 28, 1996: Wins third Super Bowl with 27-17 victory over
Pittsburgh. Completes 15-of-23 passes for 209 yards.
Sept. 8, 1996: Surpasses 20,000 career passing yards and 100 career TD
passes in 27-0 win over Giants.
Sept. 22, 1996: Sets Cowboys completion record with 1,762 in 10-7 loss
to Buffalo, surpassing Danny White.
Oct. 20, 1996: Brings team back from two second-half deficits,
including a 60-yard TD pass to Kelvin Martin with 1:42 left to give
Dallas a 32-28 win over Atlanta.
Oct. 27, 1996: Is 33-of-41 for 363 yards and three TDs in 29-10 win
over Miami.
Nov. 3, 1996: Takes the Cowboys to the Eagles 2-yard line in the final
minute, then throws an interception returned 104 yards for a TD in
31-21 Eagles win.
Nov. 10, 1996: Brings Cowboys back from 17-7 fourth-quarter deficit
against the 49ers to force overtime. Is 5-for-5 passing in overtime
drive, ending in winning field goal for a 20-17 win.
Dec. 15, 1996: Breaks Roger Staubach's club record of 22,700 career
passing yards and marks his fourth 3,000-yard passing season.
Dec. 28, 1996: Completes 19-of-29 passes for 178 yards in Cowboys'
wildcard playoff win over Vikings.
Jan. 5, 1997: Is 18-of-36 for 165 yards and three interceptions
in 26-17 divisional playoff loss at Carolina.
Aug. 31, 1997: Opens season with 19-of-30, 295-yard, four-TD
performance against Pittsburgh, winning NFC Offensive Player of the
Week honors.
Oct. 26, 1997: Suffers concussion against Philadelphia. Starts, but
then leaves next two games with severe headaches after taking hard
hits against San Francisco and Arizona.
Nov. 16, 1997: Drives Cowboys 97 yards to tie Redskins with 1:55
remaining, then takes Cowboys on short drive to set up field goal
in 17-14 win.
Sept. 23, 1998: Suffers left shoulder injury in loss to Denver and
misses next five games.
Nov. 26, 1998: Is 34-of-57 for 455 yards and no interceptions in 46-36
loss to the Vikings.
Jan. 2, 1999: In wildcard 20-7 playoff loss to Cardinals, is
22-of-49 for 191 yards and three interceptions.
Sept. 12, 1999: Leads Cowboys from 35-14 deficit in fourth quarter to
OT win over Redskins, completing 15-of-23 passes for 240 yards and
three TDs in the fourth quarter and overtime period.
Nov. 8, 1999: Suffers concussion in 27-17 loss to Minnesota and misses
next two games.
Jan. 9, 2000: Cowboys lose to Vikings in wildcard playoff game
27-10. Aikman is 22-of-38 for 286 yards and one interception.
2000 season
Sept. 3, 2000: Suffers concussion in opening loss to Philadelphia. Is
sacked four times and is 0-for-5 passing with interception before
leaving in the first half.
Oct. 15, 2000: Throws five interceptions in 19-14 loss to Giants.
Oct. 29, 2000: Gets knocked out of game against Jacksonville after
being slammed to turf by Tony Brackens in 23-17 loss. Misses next
game.
Nov. 12, 2000: Is 24-of-37 passes for 308 yards, no TDs, in 23-6 win
over Cincinnati.
Dec. 10, 2000: Suffers concussion in 32-13 win over the Redskins and
misses last two games of season.
March 7, 2001: Waived by Cowboys the day before he was due $7 million bonus and contract extension.
|
"This is really a cap deal. Waiting until June wasn't going to help me."
When asked if he'd like to play in San Diego, which recently hired Norv Turner, Aikman says "that's certainly a possibility."
"We will wait and see if he clears waivers and proceed from there," agent Leigh Steinberg said.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones probably would have preferred to see
the 34-year-old Aikman retire after 12 seasons -- and nine concussions
-- but his desire to keep playing left the team with little choice.
Jones had to make the move by Thursday or else pay Aikman a $7
million bonus and extend his contract through 2007. He will still
take up $10 million of Dallas' $67.4 million salary cap this
season.
"He'll be missed on the field at Texas Stadium. He'll always be
a Dallas Cowboy and always be a very important part of this
organization," Jones said.
Also on Wednesday, Dallas agreed to re-sign linebacker Dexter
Coakley for $25 million for six years, with a $5.5 million signing
bonus. To clear cap room, the Cowboys released veterans Erik Williams and Chad Hennings. The moves reduce the team's salary cap figure by $3.1 million.
Jones said he visited with Aikman twice Wednesday, and they
agreed it was important a decision be made quickly so Aikman could
try to play again with another team.
"As far as what's in the best interest of this club long-term,
the right thing was done," Aikman said in a conference call.
"Troy's loyalty to this organization was involved. The future
makeup of our team's roster was involved," Jones said. "Troy's
status as a future Hall of Famer and a contributor to the history
of this league ... and fortunately his wonderful ability to do what
was in the best interest of this organization was also a prevailing
thing throughout this process."
As much as Jones might have wanted to keep the first player he
ever drafted, the owner apparently decided the Cowboys couldn't
prepare for the 2001 season with such a fragile quarterback.
Aikman, who holds practically all the Dallas passing records,
sustained two concussions in 11 games last season and twice needed
epidural injections to relieve back pain.
Other teams might be scared off because of Aikman's injury
problems, which could then prompt him to retire.
But Aikman still wants to play and believes he can at a high
level. As for the health risks; tests done before last season
showed no long term damage from his previous concussions.
Once the highest-paid player in NFL history, Aikman is coming
off his worst season since the Cowboys went 1-15 his rookie year.
He was the lowest-rated starting quarterback in the NFC and
threw a career-worst five interceptions against the New York
Giants. Aikman also missed five games with injuries and was knocked
out of three more, all in the first quarter.
Yet Aikman was intrigued about coming back in 2001 in part
because he wanted a full season of throwing to speedsters Joey
Galloway and Raghib Ismail. Galloway suffered a season-ending knee
injury in last season's opener, and Ismail was later lost to a knee
injury.
Aikman came to Dallas in 1989 as the top overall choice in the
draft and the team's first pick under Jones and coach Jimmy
Johnson. He was immediately labeled the franchise's savior and,
sure enough, helped the Cowboys once again become the NFL's most
loved and most loathed team.
Aikman was the triggerman in an offense that also featured
running back Emmitt Smith and receiver Michael Irvin.
Known as the Triplets, the trio propelled Dallas to the top of
the NFL three seasons after it was on the bottom. The Cowboys won
an unprecedented three Super Bowls in four years, including
consecutive titles in 1992-93.
Aikman was the MVP of the first one, a 52-17 victory over
Buffalo. He later joined Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw as the only
quarterbacks with at least three Super Bowl victories.
Records and statistics were incidental to Aikman, who liked to
joke about being a horrible fantasy football quarterback.
Still, his numbers are impressive: 2,898-of-4,715 for 32,942
yards, 165 touchdowns and 141 interceptions.
A strong-armed, accurate passer, Aikman was often considered a
"Robo-QB," which was mostly a compliment but sometimes a
complaint.
Coaches loved his precise, fundamental style and he was at his
best when the Cowboys were loaded with young players reaching their
prime. As he and the team aged and rough times hit, some fans
grumbled that Aikman was too rigid and lacked the playmaking
ability of someone like Brett Favre.
Since Dallas' last Super Bowl championship, the Cowboys are
39-41 in the regular season and 1-3 in the playoffs. They were 5-11
last season.
Aikman understood the marketing opportunities and media
obligations that went along with being the starting quarterback of
the Cowboys.
He also took advantage of his status to do charity work, mostly
through his Troy Aikman Foundation, which helps children's
hospitals. In 1997, he was named the NFL Man of the Year.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
 Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
| |
ALSO SEE
Werder: Aikman gave Cowboys class, leadership
Cowboys past, present sad to see Aikman's departure
PFW: Salary-cap lessons of Cowboys, 49ers
Clayton: Time was now for a move by Aikman
Hoge: Aikman's health forced Dallas' hand
User feedback on Cowboys' decision
|
Jerry Jones announces that Troy Aikman has been waived by the Cowboys.
Jerry Jones discusses the factors involved with the Cowboys decision.