Back in March, Jimmy Johnson pulled back the curtain on a relationship that once looked doomed before it ever had a chance. When he arrived in Dallas in 1989, armed with Jerry Jones’ mandate to rebuild the Cowboys, Johnson made the curious call to draft quarterback Steve Walsh weeks after the team had already invested the No. 1 overall pick in Troy Aikman. The move undercut the rookie before he’d even taken a snap, and Aikman never forgot it. “We had a strained relationship that first year because I drafted Steve Walsh with a supplemental pick,” Johnson admitted on The Herd. “I knew Troy was our guy, but I wanted to take Steve Walsh because quarterbacks are so valuable. I knew that I would be able to trade him.”

What followed was a 1–15 season, the lowest point in franchise history, with trust eroding on both sides. Only later, after Walsh was dealt and wins finally started stacking up, did Johnson begin repairing the cracks in their partnership. By the time the Cowboys were hoisting Lombardi Trophies, the hard edges had softened. “Like I said, we’re best friends, now… It’s fantastic,” Johnson said, years later, with Aikman visibly moved during his coach’s Hall of Fame induction.

And fast forward to now, in August 2025, Aikman carries that history into his own reflections. During a Conversation with Michael Irvin, the other legendary name from the Cowboys’ 90’s dynasty, Troy spoke about his relationship with Jimmy. In 1989, both Aikman and Johnson were fresh faces expected to drag a floundering franchise out of mediocrity. But instead of instant glory, the early years brought bitter struggle and personal tension. As Aikman put it in an unfiltered chat on Irvin’s official YT page, “I’d known Jimmy since I was about 14 years old, he was recruiting me at Oklahoma State. He knew of me as a sophomore. I was his number one recruit when I was coming out of high school. He went to Miami, he recruited me in Miami.” While their relationship started out great, when both of them came to Valley Ranch, things took a turn.

Coming into the Cowboys as the first-overall pick, Troy Aikman was supposed to be the quarterback who saved the franchise. Instead, Walsh came through the NFL supplemental draft. As Aikman noted, “So I’d known him a long time. And then I get drafted by him and I was excited. And then when they brought in Steve Walsh, it affected our relationship.” Jimmy knew it. Troy has now admitted it.

Johnson drafting his former Miami QB (Walsh) was a crack in the foundation. Aikman felt his coach didn’t fully believe in him. When the Cowboys piled up losses instead of wins, those cracks widened. “And then with us not winning, it affected everyone’s relationship with him. There were times it was such a bumpy road early that Jim, we went through stretches where we really didn’t even communicate. We didn’t talk much at all.” But things changed eventually.

The Walsh-Aikman controversy became a symbol of mistrust, one that mirrored the franchise’s early chaos. But history remembers the triumphs. Just one year into Walsh’s acquisition, he couldn’t succeed under Aikman’s competitive flair. As both Johnson and Aikman noted in the latest docuseries America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys, they realized both of them were alike in their vision for victory. By 1992, Aikman and Johnson had climbed that mountain together. They claimed a Super Bowl in 1992 and ignited one of the league’s greatest runs. Dallas made history, with a coach and his No. 1 QB leading the charge.

Troy Aikman and Jimmy Johnson: from rift to reverence

Troy Aikman had always wanted a fish tank. And it was notably Jimmy Johnson who helped him get the first one. Aikman installed the tank in his master bedroom and also added a chair. From there, it became a regular spot for Johnson to sit, drink, watch the fish, and talk to his QB. As Aikman further added, “the last two years, as he was our head coach, he and I got along really well. … 93, his last year with us, he would come over on the off day on Tuesdays. He’d bring a six pack of Heineken’s and he’d sit in my bedroom, looking at the fish tank, drinking beer. And he and I would just communicate.”

This bond made Johnson’s sudden ‘94 departure sting even more. The dynasty carried on under Barry Switzer, but Aikman never forgot how hard-earned his days with Jimmy had been. But fate brought them together again. Both of them became close again during their tenure with Fox. Thier friendship also presented Aikman with what he calls his highest honor. “I mean, going into the hall of fame myself is a great honor, but the best honor I’ve ever been given was when he asked me to present him in the hall of fame.” As Aikman further asked Irvin, “can you imagine the relationship that we had in 1989, 1990, that one day Jimmy Johnson would ask me to be his presenter for the Hall of Fame?” From not speaking during losing seasons, to sharing beers in Dallas, to celebrating each other’s enshrinements, it’s a storyline for the ages. 

Today, Aikman makes yearly trips to see Johnson in Florida, and the two have stayed in constant communication. The QB who once bristled at feeling doubted, now describes his former coach with utmost respect and loyalty. For Troy Aikman and Jimmy Johnson, history will always remember the banners hanging in Dallas. But perhaps the more profound legacy for them has been of two competitors who grew into the closest of friends.