Before becoming a Hall of Famer, Troy Aikman admits his NFL career almost took a very different path. Speaking on a podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce, the former No. 1 overall pick reflected on just how rough his early days with the Dallas Cowboys really were and how close he came to being seen as a bust.

“My first two years in Dallas, I was on that path,” Aikman said on the latest episode of the New Heights podcast. “I was on the path of being a bust. We were the worst offense in football, really, both years. My first and second years in the league. So many quarterbacks… came in as high draft picks with high expectations, and then it just never quite happens for them.”

But the very next year after that, Dallas ranked 9th in total yards, went 11-5, and made the playoffs. They had the same skill players: RB Emmitt Smith, WR Michael Irvin, and TE Jay Novacek. But Troy Aikman’s story went from a draft bust to winning two back-to-back Super Bowls in 1992 and 1993. And the biggest catalyst in this rebuild was offensive coordinator Norv Turner, who ran Dallas’ offense for three glorious seasons.

“Even in today’s game, there’s not a lot of great offensive minds,” Aikman said on the podcast. “And if you’re one of these quarterbacks who’s fortunate enough to play for one, you got a chance to be really successful.”

Turner’s impact on Aikman’s career was so great that Aikman even chose him as his presenter at his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction in 2006. As Aikman puts it, Irvin and Smith both cite Turner as the reason for their careers’ turnaround.

Aikman also made sure to credit Jimmy Johnson.

As the Cowboys’ head coach, Johnson was the one who pulled off the Herschel Walker trade, stockpiled the picks, and built the roster around Aikman. Without that foundation, Turner wouldn’t have had a championship roster waiting for him in 1991. But the system Turner created is what made the whole thing function. Strip that away, and Aikman’s career probably looks a lot different.

This is a lesson the NFL seems to keep learning the hard way: quarterbacks don’t succeed or fail on their own. Many who get labeled as busts aren’t lacking talent—they’re stuck in systems that don’t work. Aikman pointed to Sam Darnold as a perfect modern example.

Drafted third overall in 2018 and written off after stops with multiple teams, Darnold finally found the right situation with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024. With Kevin O’Connell running a stable, well-structured offense, he put together the best season of his career, throwing for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns.

Darnold had once thrown four picks and lost a fumble in a 33-0 shutout against the New England Patriots. He admitted to “seeing ghosts” in that game. That stumble came full circle last season with the Seattle Seahawks when he defeated the Patriots to win Super Bowl LIX.

“Everyone points to Sam Darnold and what he’s gone through and where he’s been the last two years. And that’s a great example of it,” Aikman said. “He’s been around really great coaching. He’s excelled, and we’ve seen his talents come out, and that’s what happened to me.”

Norv Turner transformed Troy Aikman into the face of the 90s dynasty, and that had a ripple effect. Watching Aikman’s exploits inspired a young Travis Kelce in Ohio to become an elite quarterback. Travis’ football journey started at Cleveland Heights High School, where he actually played quarterback. At the University of Cincinnati, Kelce played both QB and tight end in 2009. By 2011, the permanent transition to tight end was complete.

“You’ve been an icon in the Kelce household for such a long time,” Travis told Aikman. “I remember I had the Dallas Cowboys action figures. It was all the stars. It was you, Irvin, Emmitt, and Deion [Sanders]… Grew up a quarterback, wishing I could one day be an AIkman. But you know, I made my way into the quarterback’s best friend world.”

Aikman wrapped his career with 90 wins in the 1990s, then the most by any quarterback in a single decade. That number exists only because one coordinator fixed the system around him. And that’s the thread connecting what happened in Dallas in 1991 to what Aikman sees happening for quarterbacks across the league now.

Troy Aikman on the current state of NFL QB play

On the same podcast, before Aikman dove into his tribute for Norv Turner, Jason Kelce asked Aikman where he stands on today’s quarterbacks. Aikman offered a simple answer before going in-depth with his explanation: “Well, I like it.”

He remembered a period near the end of his career when people were asking who would replace legendary quarterbacks like John Elway, Dan Marino, Warren Moon, Jim Kelly, Steve Young, Boomer Esiason, and many more. Aikman’s answer? It’s always the next man up.

“What you find is somebody always fills those shoes,” Aikman said. “There are always more superstars that are coming along, and I think the league is in great hands.”

Aikman then cited Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, who was the runner-up in the MVP battle last season. Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes (Travis’ quarterback) and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen also came to Aikman’s mind. He also noted that Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow “has always been one of my favorites.”

The more pointed part of what Aikman said was about the scheme. He traced the league’s passing volume spike back to when the Patriots physically punished the Indianapolis Colts in the mid-2000s, which triggered rule changes that favored receivers and squeezed defensive backs. Teams spent the decade after that chasing air yards and spread concepts.

Aikman admits that he’d have liked to get more air yards during his playing years. But if given the chance, he wouldn’t really change anything. The run-game and play-action-heavy Dallas Cowboys remain Aikman’s blueprint if he ever coaches a franchise. And the best part is Aikman’s already seen that shift in the San Francisco 49ers, the Los Angeles Rams, and the Chicago Bears.

All of these teams have won consistently without needing a 4-yard touchdown passer in every game. A functional run game creates the same conditions Turner manufactured in Dallas: defenders in conflict, play action with teeth, and a quarterback who doesn’t have to carry the offense alone. That formula made Aikman, and he still thinks it works.

The whole conversation circles back to the same thing. Talent at quarterback matters, but the structure around it is what determines whether that talent actually shows up. The best living proof of that is Troy Aikman himself.