Even Hall of Fame quarterbacks don’t always agree when legacy, championships, and winning are put up for comparison, especially when they’re judging rivals they faced themselves. Take Brett Favre and Troy Aikman, for example.

On a recent episode of the 4th and Favre Podcast, the legendary quarterback kicked off a fun, yet competitive, discussion with co-host David Kano: Who wore the number 8 better, Troy Aikman or Steve Young?

Favre didn’t hesitate, immediately siding with the iconic Dallas Cowboys signal-caller, Troy Aikman. This choice, however, came with a hearty dose of grudging respect. Favre confessed that he and his Green Bay Packers constantly battled Aikman’s Cowboys, a rivalry where, as he lamented, he “never won.” When pressed to articulate his choice, the Hall of Famer offered this candid take:

“Troy Aikman, you’re right, I had endless battles which I never won. And you know, he didn’t have to do a whole lot at Dallas in their Super Bowl runs because it was handed off to him, and you didn’t touch him until he was 5 to 10 yards deep in the defense. But when Troy threw it, it was always good. Very few mistakes, if any. I hated him as a competitor, but I love him as a competitor, if that makes sense.”

Aikman’s career is a testament to winning. Playing for the Cowboys from 1989 to 2000, he was the essential leader who steered the franchise to an incredible three Super Bowl championships in the 1990s.

As part of the famed “The Triplets” alongside running back Emmitt Smith and receiver Michael Irvin, Aikman was the definition of a winner. He closed his 12-year tenure with a solid 94-71 regular-season record and an outstanding 11-4 postseason record. 

His statistics, which comprise 32,942 passing yards, 165 touchdowns, and a 61.5% career completion rate, reveal a quarterback who prioritized efficiency and championships over flashy, high-volume numbers. This very focus on minimizing errors and maximizing wins is precisely what made him so formidable in Favre’s eyes.

The two Hall of Fame quarterbacks share a deep, competitive history defined by the Cowboys’ repeated victories over Favre’s Packers in high-stakes games.

While Aikman’s dominance in their rivalry was undeniable, Favre did manage to break the streak in a regular-season game in November 1997, leading the Packers to a decisive 45-17 victory. Earlier that same year, Favre secured a more personal, if less consequential, win in the 1997 Pro Bowl Quarterback Challenge, where he famously defeated Aikman in the long-distance throw competition with a 75-yard bomb.

Ultimately, Aikman’s knack for error-free, championship-clinching football resonated with players like Favre. He was the kind of opponent you had to watch out for and the kind of player every competitor would secretly love to have on their own team, which is exactly why Brett Favre ultimately justified his choice of Troy Aikman over Steve Young at No. 8.

Brett Favre justifies his choice of Troy Aikman over Steve Young at number 8

Steve Young, a great quarterback and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, is best known for playing with the San Francisco 49ers. Young won three Super Bowl titles in total. However, he was only the main starting quarterback for one of those wins: Super Bowl XXIX. In that game, the 49ers crushed the Chargers 49-26. Young had an amazing performance, throwing a record-breaking six touchdowns and being named the game’s Most Valuable Player (MVP). His other two championships came when he was a backup to legendary quarterback Joe Montana.

Young’s record in the playoffs as a starter was 8 wins and 7 losses (a win rate of 57.1%). Even though Young was individually brilliant, according to Favre, Troy Aikman won more championships while always being the main team leader, and has justified the number 8. As he said, making a comparison with himself,

“I had a lot of battles with Steve. I had a lot more success against Steve or against the 49ers,” he further remarked on his choice for choosing Aikman as he added, “I’m a firm believer in winning the big one, and Troy certainly stands alone in this category. I think Steve won one. I won one. But Troy was a tremendous leader.”

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Brett Favre said that he had a better winning record against Young and the 49ers. Even so, he spent time studying Young’s game film. Young was a lefty, but he ran the same plays (or “offense”) that Favre ran. Favre watched a lot of Young’s games, but the tricky part was that Young never seemed to make a mistake. Favre thought, “Wow, he always made the right decision.”

Favre knew he couldn’t play with that same level of perfection. Head-to-head, Aikman owned the rivalry that defined the era. The Cowboys and 49ers met in three straight NFC Championship games (1992-1994), with Dallas winning the first two en route to Super Bowls.

Aikman consistently outdueled Young in these high-stakes battles, proving he performed better when both #8s shared the field.