In the event Troy Aikman does become part of an NFL front office, he already has his mind made up about who he’d hire as head coach. And, he’d be ready to part with whatever the team, or the coach, asked for making it happen.
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“If I was in a position to hire someone as a head coach, the first call I’d make is to the 49ers and say, how much is it going to take to get Kyle Shanahan?” Aikman said on The Ticket’s Cowboys Ranch Report. “Because I think he’s that good. And yes, I’ve always believed this, but coaching matters. It has an impact on an organization, and we’ve seen that in San Francisco.
He has also said it before. Last year, he said, “If I was a GM and could hire anybody, it would be Kyle Shanahan, and I’ve been saying that for a number of years.”
So what makes Shanahan such a prized hire? It starts with his offense. CBS Sports ranked him the second-best offensive play-caller in the league entering 2026, behind only Sean McVay. But if they had to make the list at this point in the season. Shanahan would most likely have dethroned McVay. Now in his 10th season as head coach, Shanahan continues to stump defenses with his offense.
“Nobody’s going to put the spin on it like Kyle does,” Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said, via The Athletic. “If you’re not on it and you’re not sound in what you’re doing, you can get exposed very quickly.”
In these 10 years, Shanahan has helped restore some glory to a team that was an absolute dominator in the 80s and early 90s. And, it doesn’t matter if Shanahan has healthy players or not; the 49ers cannot be counted out of the picture.
Despite losing multiple players to injuries before, Shanahan was able to make the playoffs. And now, the 49ers are the favorites to win the Super Bowl LXI.
His influence stretches across the league, too. Mike LaFleur is now the Cardinals’ head coach, and Mike McDaniel is the Chargers’ offensive coordinator.
Shanahan, with McVay, is also tied for the second-longest-tenured active head coach. Both are only behind Andy Reid, who is in his 14th season. The only factor that separates Shanahan is a Super Bowl victory, which still eludes him.
Should he make it this time, perhaps Troy Aikman will actively pursue him. With the latter also rumored to take up a front office role after his impending exit from ESPN, this could be something to watch out for.
“I could and would,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said on 105.3 The Fan when asked about hiring Aikman. He also added, “Don’t rule it out. It is very possible.”
Jones has also called Aikman “very capable of being any number of things.” Aikman has been careful in return.
“I would welcome any conversation with Jerry, and quite honestly, I don’t know if there ever would be an opportunity,” Aikman told Mike Fisher of Cowboys Roundtable.
Not everyone thinks it would be easy. Former Cowboys lineman Nate Newton said Aikman might clash with how the team is run. He deemed the Cowboys management to be a “dictatorship.”
Then there is the cost. The 49ers quietly extended Shanahan in the offseason, though the terms have not been made public. But Jones recently said he has never been shy about paying coaches.
“I have five wells that cost more than any coach I know of, each one of them, in the NFL,” Jones said.
The Cowboys could use some help. They are 4-5 after beating the Colts 27-23 last Sunday. Brian Schottenheimer, in his second year as the Cowboys head coach, is already on the hot seat.
Aikman’s dream hire will get a closer look at the Cowboys in person. Shanahan and the 49ers visit AT&T Stadium on Sunday, and for one afternoon, Dallas will see exactly what Aikman has been talking about.