For Michael Irvin, the quarterback GOAT debate doesn’t include Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes; it begins and ends with Troy Aikman. Decades after their final Super Bowl together, the bond forged during the Cowboys’ dynasty still carries real weight. Aikman’s reaction to Irvin’s latest comments served as a reminder that some teammate loyalties don’t fade with time or modern-day debates.

“Love this guy! #teammates4life,” wrote Aikman on Instagram, after posting a clip of Irvin praising him during The Dan Patrick Show.

The quarterback could not stop himself from reacting after watching the former WR choose him over Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes.

“No, I won’t take Patrick Mahomes over Troy Aikman,” answered Michael Irvin during The Dan Patrick Show when asked whether he would go for Mahomes over Aikman. “I won’t take nobody over Troy Aikman, including mom, dad, sister, brother, niece, nephew in my family.”

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“Not even Tom Brady?” Patrick asked, with a chuckle.

Irvin didn’t miss a beat to hit back: “Nope, nobody.”

He further added, “There is nobody I would take over Troy Aikman, because I think Patrick Mahomes is great. He makes a second play, a third play. But Troy is the best timing throwing quarterback in the history of this game. When Norm Turner got here and said, ‘You got that third step and let that ball go, hit that fifth step, and let that ball go,’ it became perfect, and it was unstoppable. I will take no one at the quarterback position over Troy Aikman. Not even Jesus himself.”

The bond between the quarterback and the wide receiver remains strong.

However, Irvin’s choice of Aikman is not just because they played together for a decade. It is about the minute details that the quarterback used to implement in his play. To this day, people still talk about the duo’s Bang 8-pass against the Buffalo Bills. The Dallas Cowboys were unstoppable when the star QB used to take five steps back and throw a direct pass to the wideouts, especially Michael Irvin. It was so clean and lethal that no one could stop them from reaching the end zones.

Troy Aikman played for the Cowboys from 1989 to 2000, completing 2,898 passes for 32,942 yards and scoring 161 touchdowns. He had a passer rating of 81.6, earned the Dallas Ring of Honor, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006. The six-time Pro Bowler earned three Super Bowl rings in his career. All that is more than enough to justify Irvin choosing Aikman as his forever QB1.

In the midst of addressing his former teammate’s comments, the legendary quarterback also responded to Jerry Jones’ remarks about defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.

Troy Aikman wants to hear more about the team from Brian Schottenheimer, not Jerry Jones

Jerry Jones saying that the defense will reset in the upcoming season did not sit right with Troy Aikman. He’d much rather see head coach Brian Schottenheimer, who should be making comments about the team’s locker room conditions.

“As far as Matt Eberflus, the only one I’ve heard comment on that is Jerry Jones,” said Troy Aikman on 1310 The Ticket, via The Dallas Morning News. “And I’d like to hear what Brian Schottenheimer has to say about it. I’d rather, in fact, it be Brian Schottenheimer who’s talking about, ‘We’re going to evaluate over the next three weeks not only the defensive coordinator but all of the coaching positions,’ and then make a decision on what he wants to do, as opposed to what the general manager wants to do.”

He further added, “So that’s concerning to me. It’s not a surprise to anybody, but I would rather be hearing from Brian Schottenheimer as the head coach as far as what his staff may or may not look like a year from now.”

The Cowboys will face the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. With everything happening in the Cowboys’ locker room, it will be interesting to see how the team deals with these issues. Whether things get implemented right away or everyone waits for the new season remains to be seen amid the defense controversy.