$65M Rich Troy Aikman Still Making Millions off Super Bowl Wins, Says Michael Irvin With Strong Words for Cowboys’ Micah Parsons

In the late 80s, the Cowboys needed a savior. That’s when the team landed Troy Aikman in the 1989 NFL Draft, but make no mistake, it took a while, more precisely 11 straight losses, before fans realized he was the answer to all their problems. Aikman’s first win with the team came in 1990, and once he was given weapons in running back Emmitt Smith and wide receiver Michael Irvin, their offensive line looked unstoppable. Soon enough, they had three Super Bowl trophies gleaming under the ’90s spotlight! But fast forward to the current day, the team is anything but the dynasty it used to be…

Today, the team has good talent, but the fundamentals, like good trenches, a reliable run game, and solid play calling, are missing. Add to this a shattered morale that comes with getting defeated against a wildcard team and injuries, and one can see there are a lot of moving parts to the story. While the stars of the ’90s Cowboys dynasty still believe in their team, the free agency frenzy that saw a flurry of abnormal activities this offseason doesn’t paint the best picture. Irvin, ever the showman who turned the number 88 into a Texas-sized brand, riding Super Bowl highs into a post-career empire, knows a thing or two about hunger. But now he is watching Micah Parsons—the Cowboys’ $24 million-a-year phenom—navigate a modern NFL minefield: Viral feuds, podcast drama, and former teammates throwing shade like a July sun.

The fireworks started when DE DeMarcus Lawrence decided to walk away from the only team he’s ever played for, and settle for a three-year, $42 million deal in Seattle instead. On his way out, he wasn’t one to keep his silence and declared Dallas a dead end for Super Bowl dreams. It’s one thing for this to come from fans, but it’s another to come from a veteran who played as a Cowboy for 11 years! Parsons fired back on social media last month: “This what rejection and envy look like! This some clown s—,” he wrote on X, but Lawrence wasn’t going to back down, and slammed a revert: “Calling me a clown won’t change the fact that I told the truth. Maybe if you spent less time tweeting and more time winning, I wouldn’t have left.” Irvin, never one to mince words, sided with Parsons during his visit at Fanatics View on YouTube. Irvin began with a “I’m okay with Micah’s response.

I love Tank and I appreciate all he’s done here. But when you go back and look over, when D-Law got that contract, D-Law was putting up 10 sacks a year. Post-contract, it fell to like five or six a year. I understand D-Law was the man and Micah Parsons came and I’m like, ‘Why you guys didn’t figure out a way to work together?’ Now I see what was going on in the locker room.

“My issue with D-Law, I’ll never win there. No, no, no… You were here. You see, he is pointing fingers like you were not there. You were here. If you had said, ‘Man, I’ve been there, man. I just couldn’t get it done. You know I couldn’t get it done. We didn’t get it done when I was there. Icouldn’t get it done.’ I got to take that because at least you [pointed at yourself]. But you can’t act like they are not doing something.” Irvin has a great point here. You see, Dallas drafted Lawrence in 2014, and he stayed with them for 11 NFL seasons. So it looks like Irvin expects accountability from Lawrence. On the other hand, what was Michael Irvin’s message to Parsons?

Top Comment by Arvis

Michael does seem a little spread out, mentally. Seems to be overly sensitive to others opinions. I think that more...more

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“You got to share the spotlight because you got to share responsibility on the field. So I can’t just say, ‘Oh screw them dudes. I don’t care what they say. You’re gonna need those guys, so you got to tow that line as a leader,” Irvin warned. That being sad, he also tried to show him what lies beyond championships.

While Micah Parsons navigates drama, Troy Aikman—net worth $65 million—is the ghost of Cowboys past. The NFL Hall of Famer turned ESPN’s $90 million analyst proves titles pay forever. “We [are] still living off of it,” Michael Irvin said, grinning. Aikman’s post-NFL portfolio? Broadcasting, NASCAR teams, and Texas real estate. Win now, profit later seems to be a tried and tested map to success.

Parsons stands at a crossroads. He’s the face of a defense losing veterans like Lawrence and Zack Martin. His fifth-year option ($24M) is a placeholder before a record-breaking extension—think $40M annually. But Irvin’s warning lingers: “Win Super Bowls. Win some championships. There’ll be so much to go around that you’ll have enough. But y’all ain’t winning s—. And so there’s only a small light. Win championships. There’ll be enough for everybody to go around. Trust me. Emmitt and Troy and I, we still living off of it. It’s been plenty for us. It’s been plenty for all of us. We still make millions. Y’all should try.”

Yet, Parsons is busy with online clashes, as his argument with Lawrence wasn’t the first of its kind.

What does Micah Parsons want to be remembered for?

Last summer, safety Malik Hooker questioned Parsons’ podcast priorities: “If we’re at work and the run game’s terrible, but you’re doing a podcast every week and you know the run game is terrible, then what are you really caring about?” As expected, Parsons shot back.

“Just wish you said this to me but instead on some podcast! And you got my number family! @MalikHooker24 and you my locker mate!,” Parsons said. Michael Irvin sees a pattern: Jealousy over Parsons’ stardom. “They’re jealous of the light that you’re getting,” he said. Parsons’ stats back the noise.

52.5 sacks in four seasons. But the Cowboys’ playoff failures loom larger than a Jerry Jones hat. “I think it’s my time now,” Parsons declared after Lawrence’s exit. “But it’s kind of hard when you butt heads with another person. They think different; they feel different; and they want to be in the room different. Now it’s my time to really take over.”

The Cowboys’ 2025 season hinges on Parsons morphing from Pro Bowler to pacesetter. Can he channel Irvin’s hunger or Aikman’s icy focus? Or will the noise drown out the mission? For Parsons, the path is clear: sack quarterbacks, silence critics, and chase those championships.

The Cowboys’ golden era wasn’t built on hot takes—it was forged in end zones and boardrooms. As training camp looms, one question lingers: Will Micah Parsons be remembered for his tweets—or his trophies?