‘It hurts me’ — Michael Irvin gets real about his jealousy of something the Miami Dolphins have that the Dallas Cowboys don’t
The Miami Dolphins bent their ear towards one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, and his former wide receiver is sick that his former franchise didn’t do the same.
The Miami Dolphins had needed a makeover for years, and they eventually got one once the 2025 season had reached its end. General manager Chris Grier and the team parted ways during the season, with Mike McDaniel’s dismissal following after the season and the team sweeping away pieces of the old guard in Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle in the offseason, among other moves.
Naturally, the franchise reboot and hirings from the general manager position on down, after a quarter century of playoff futility, were critical for Stephen Ross to nail. So, as part of that evaluation, Ross retained Dallas Cowboys legend and Hall of Famer Troy Aikman as a consultant. Aikman was part of the evaluation process that led to the hiring of Jeff Hafley as head coach and Jon-Eric Sullivan as general manager.
Bringing in Aikman was a very sensible move for Miami. Aikman won big as a player, and as a Monday Night Football commentator, he’s still plugged into what it takes to win in the league today.
And that’s something that’s stuck in the craw of his former number one wide receiver in Michael Irvin. The Playmaker, whose allegiance to Dallas has not faltered since his playing days, told DLLS Cowboys recently that “it hurts” him that the Cowboys have not brought Aikman into the fold in a similar consulting fashion.
Michael Irvin says ‘it’s criminal’ and ‘it does pain me’ that Cowboys haven’t gotten Troy Aikman involved in their organization like the Dolphins have
“It does pain me to see that,” Irvin said. “I mean, I think it’s criminal for any club not to try to gleam as much as you can from a guy like Troy Aikman who’s job, who’s job, is to go and talk to teams, talk to coaches, and bring an understanding of what’s going on behind the scenes to the world. So, he understands each thing going on in your organization. I mean, there is no better place for information than to get from a guy like Troy Aikman.
“Tom Brady is smart enough to be doing that and have put part ownership into a team. I think that’s a hell of an advantage for Tom Brady, you know what I mean? Sooner or later, he has to get it right.
“So, yeah, absolutely. It hurts me. It pains me to see that happening. Because I know Troy wanted to do that. Troy wanted a John Elway situation here in Dallas, and I know he wanted it and certainly has earned it, but it’s not going to happen.”
Unfortunately for Irvin and everyone else who roots for Dallas, with Jerry Jones calling the shots, there’s not any room in the building for an outside opinion, even one as seasoned and respected as Aikman. But that’s like calling the sky blue at this point. The Cowboys are thirty-plus years without even reaching the NFC Championship Game with Jones as owner, so despite the need for additional help, the Cowboys continue to grow back toes that they shoot off year after year.
Speaking of streaks, we’ll see if the Dolphins can work their way towards that elusive first playoff win since 2000 in the coming years. It’s unlikely in 2026 with the way the roster stands and with a first-year coaching staff, but weirder things have happened in the NFL.