The Dallas Cowboys saw their 2025 season fall out of postseason reach after a 34–17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on December 21, a defeat that dropped them to 6–8–1 and officially eliminated them from playoff contention despite entering the year with Division hopes. With two games left and no chance to advance, questions about coaching, identity, and leadership under owner Jerry Jones have grown louder. But yet again, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback and ESPN analyst Troy Aikman is offering them a clear idea of who could finally end their three-decade-old slump.

“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,” Troy Aikman said pregame. “You watch his offense, you watch his defense, there’s an urgency and a purpose to everything that they do. Even in spite of the injuries that they have had, let’s look at the defensive side of the ball and what Robert Saleh has done.”

Aikman was particularly impressed by Shanahan’s team gaining 11 wins this season and cementing a spot in the playoffs, irrespective of their streak of injuries this season. They saw defensive struggles and, at times, barely managed to pull through with their run game. However, both these aspects were also resolved as they got back some of their defenders this week against the Colts and took them out 27-48.

Aikman’s praise was also backed by the numbers as Shanahan’s offense averaged an efficient 26.1 points per game. Mac Jones is recording 2,151 yards, and running back Javonte Williams is rushing for 1,147 yards. Furthermore, they have only lost four games so far in this season. But the NFL is more than just the stats, and Aikman’s admiration for Shanahan isn’t anything new.

He’s been openly and repeatedly beating the same drum for years. One of the clearest examples came in November 2022, when Aikman, speaking on SportsCenter after a 49ers win, said flatly, “If I were in a position to hire a head coach and I could hire anybody I wanted, Kyle Shanahan would be that guy.” He pointed directly to how Shanahan builds his offense around personnel, runs a physical, disciplined system, and consistently puts players in positions where they don’t have to do anything extraordinary to be effective.

That theme only grew louder in later broadcasts. During Monday Night Football discussions in December 2024, Aikman went a step further, suggesting that Shanahan might be worth trading for if teams ever had the chance. “I would be all in on that,” he said, stressing that Shanahan “would develop a quarterback and is a hell of a head coach.”

But the highest praise of all, perhaps, would be him saying: “If I were going to come back, it would be to play for Kyle Shanahan.”

While Troy Aikman named Shanahan as his preferred coach, Jerry Jones had other ideas.

Jerry Jones gives his opinion on Brian Schottenheimer

Under Brian Schottenheimer’s leadership this season, the Cowboys have a 6-8-1 record and currently sit second in the NFC East. When you zoom out, the Cowboys remain the only NFC team that has not reached a conference championship game in the past 30 years.

However, upon examining the statistics, they don’t appear as bad. The team is averaging 28.3 points per game this season. Furthermore, Prescott is recording 4,175 yards. Running back Javonte Williams is rushing for 1,147 yards, and wide receivers George Pickens (1,342) and CeeDee Lamb (1,027) both secured over 1,000 receiving yards in their game against the Chargers.

More importantly, Schottenheimer has the support of the owner:

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“I like the job Schottenheimer’s done this year,” Jones said. “I think he’s been outstanding. He’s a first-year coach, and he’s covered a lot of ground — not only his duties as head coach, but his duties on the offense and his duties over on the defense as well.”

Despite an underwhelming season, Jones showed confidence in his head coach. The Cowboys will only play for pride. Their final two games will be against the Washington Commanders and the New York Giants.