Troy Aikman says things about Dak Prescott that Cowboys fans are afraid to ask

Troy Aikman is saying the quiet parts out loud.

The three-time Super Bowl champion has managed to distance himself somewhat from the team whose uniform he wore for his Hall of Fame career. Unlike some of his teammates from the dynasty days, Aikman hasn't been a flag-waving cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys. And in many cases, in his new career as one of the top color analysts in the game, he's been one of the Cowboys' most vocal critics.

Whether it's in the Monday Night Football booth or in his new side gig consulting for the front office of the Miami Dolphins, the 59-year-old has made a longstanding habit of calling it exactly like he sees it. And he just openly questioned the very things that live in the backs of all Cowboys fans' minds these days when it comes to the team's chances heading into another season.

The Cowboys- inevitably- will continue to go as quarterback Dak Prescott goes.

"As Dak continues to get older, one: it's hard to stay healthy. So, will he make it through a full [18-]game season? Will he make it into the postseason and be able to play?" Aikman wondered. "And then on top of that: how long is he going to play at the level that he played at last year?"

The comments came in a recent interview with KDFW Fox 4's Sam Gannon. And they understandably make Cowboys fans more than a little nervous.

Prescott doesn't have a reputation for being injury-prone, but the early ends to his 2020 and 2024 seasons were death knells for the Cowboys in both years. And his five-game absence in 2022 required a Cinderella-story stretch from Cooper Rush just to keep the team afloat while he was gone.

Aikman's first question is legitimate, but most every NFL team has their wagon hitched to their starting QB every season. The system is built around him; if he goes down, the season can tailspin in a hurry. It's a roll of the dice with every snap.

But Aikman's second point- about Prescott's continued caliber of play- is the elephant trying to hide in the corner. Prescott will turn 33 before the upcoming season starts. And while plenty of top-tier passers are still lighting it up as they near 40, the window that can reasonably be called Prescott's "prime" is closing, even if slowly.

There's a segment of the fanbase that blames Prescott. Says he's simply not good enough and never has been. The counterargument, though, is that the team hasn't put enough top-notch pieces around him, hasn't invested enough at key positions or at the right positions or in the right players.

Last year, Prescott returned from a season-ending injury and turned in one of his best statistical campaigns at age 32. Led the NFL in completions. Passed for over 4,500 yards. Threw 30 touchdowns. Aikman never met any of those numbers... but most of the teams he played for were so good (read: complete), he never had to.

Isn't it appropriate to suggest that it's the Cowboys who could have been doing more to help Prescott?

"It's a fair question. I would say it'd be hard for me from where I sit to say they've let him down when he's the highest-paid player in the NFL at $60 million a year," Aikman laughed. "I would argue that it's hard to imagine that they've let him down in that regard."

Aikman pointed to Tom Brady as an example about how the dollars and cents can impact the Xs and Os.

"[Brady] never was the highest-paid guy in the league, and he always took a little bit of a hometown discount in order for those teams-- now, it didn't always work out that way because they didn't always draft particularly well in New England," Aikman explained. "Tom made up for a lot of the inefficiencies that they had. But Tom understood that if he gave up a little bit and it made the team stronger and they won, that he would more than make up for whatever he was giving up in salary off the field or in other ways.

"I'm not suggesting that Dak should do that. I'm just saying that when you're paying Dak at the top of the market, you're paying CeeDee near the top of the market, and George Pickens with the franchise tag, and you're directing all of your energy and resources on offense, there's going to be some holes."

That hole in Dallas in 2025 was, obviously, the defense. And while the organization has spent the offseason making moves to fix the issues and the upcoming draft will likely focus on adding highly-graded talent on that side of the ball, Aikman offers a sobering reminder that there's no guarantee that Prescott will stay healthy and perform at the same level.

"I think the disappointing thing from the fans' perspective is that when you have a year like Dak had, and yet you don't even get to see that take place in January- you don't even make the postseason- that's a wasted year."

The Cowboys are running out of years with Prescott. Aikman is calling his shot: they can't afford to waste any more of them.

Todd is on X at @ToddBrock24f7. Also, follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!

This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys icon Troy Aikman talks team's future with Dak Prescott