With trouble brewing in ESPN paradise between the network’s No. 1 booth pairing of Troy Aikman and Joe Buck, questions have been raised over what lies in store for Aikman going forward.The Hall of Famer looks set to depart from his ESPN role as Monday Night Football analyst after Super Bowl LXI, following the end of his contract at the conclusion of the 2026 NFL season.Buck and Aikman calling Super Bowl LXI for ESPN will likely be the final chapter of their 25-year on-air partnershipGettyThis comes after friction developed between Aikman and Buck after his long-term booth partner of 25 years penned a lucrative six-year, $108 million extension to stay on as the No. 1 play-by-play announcer. A three-time Super Bowl champion with the Dallas Cowboys, Aikman was vocal about his frustrations over not being offered a contract extension by the network. Tipped to become a free agent, and with CBS Sports having filled their No. 1 vacancy following the dismissal of Tony Romo by giving stand-in J.J. Watt the role on a permanent basis, options are running out for Aikman to find himself in a No. 1 booth for 2027.Of course, Amazon Prime could yet come to the table amid rumors that veteran sportscaster Al Michaels could be axed after the season, though there is nothing concrete and it is mere speculation. Therefore, Aikman could look to pivot into a different role, and perhaps even into a front-office position within the NFL.Earlier this year he was hired by the Miami Dolphins as a consultant, where his responsibilities included helping the team hire a new general manager and head coach. Amid the ongoing woes of his former team, with the Cowboys suffering a woeful 33-30 overtime loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday – despite having a 14 point lead in the fourth quarter – changes could be on the horizon in Jerry World.Jones should pursue Aikman to become GMIn the latest episode of talkSPORT’s Inside the NFL, co-hosts Will Gavin and Brian T. Smith debated the possibility that Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones could look to reunite with Aikman and bring him into the front office in a huge attempt to make the team Super Bowl contenders once again.“You have Troy Aikman out there, who’s warring with Joe Buck. Reportedly curse words are going, jealousy, millions and millions of dollars,” Smith argued. “Aikman is a Hall of Fame quarterback. He knows the league. He’s working a little with the Dolphins. He’s proud. He’s seen it all, a multiple-time Super Bowl winner.“If you’re Jerry Jones, you’re not doing it with your current organization. So Jerry Jones’ answer probably is going to be, ‘oh, I’m going to fire Brian Schottenheimer’. Aikman may not have a future in TV so staying in the NFL by moving into a front-office role could be the way forwardGettyAikman won three Super Bowls with the Cowboys in the 1990s and the team haven’t tasted success sinceGetty“My answer would be, well, why did you hire Mike McCarthy? And why did you keep Jason Garrett for so long? And why did you hire Brian Schottenheimer in the first place?”Although Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones announced in the aftermath of their MNF loss to the Cardinals that he wasn’t thinking of making any coaching changes in the wake of the NFC East team falling to 3-5 on the 2026 season, that doesn’t mean he won’t make some changes elsewhere. “[Jones] can add the pieces. He can get George Pickens. He can find CeeDee Lamb in the draft, which was great,” Smith added, noting what Jones’ strengths are. “But Dak Prescott‘s not getting any younger. “You need a GM to come in there who can actually figure out a way to win with these pieces and make some bold moves. … Why not reach out to Troy Aikman? Why not get Troy Aikman back on your side? “He clearly doesn’t want to work with Joe Buck anymore. It feels like the Monday Night Football thing is done. Can Troy Aikman magically save the Dallas Cowboys? … And Jerry would respect Troy Aikman. Like, he’s not going to respect anybody else, but Troy Aikman could shoot it straight with Jerry Jones.”Time is running out for Jones to get a Super BowlThis argument was supported by Gavin who believes that billionaire Jones’ age should be making him think about making a ‘desperate’ change and doing whatever it takes to make winning another Super Bowl ring in his lifetime happen. .“At this point, do what you’ve got to do to make it happen. And what you’ve got to do to make it happen is go and get Troy Aikman to come and revitalize this front office,” Gavin stated.Jones should be strongly considering bringing in someone like Aikman to become the team’s GM to restore them back to winning waysGetty“… The Cowboys are a team that are just back to being able to be widely mocked once more. They’re only two games back from 500 and they could catch the New York Giants. But.. I would bring Troy Aikman into the conversation.”Despite being widely known as ‘America’s Team’ and being the most valuable team in the NFL with a valuation of $15.5 billion per Forbes, Dallas hasn’t even made an NFC Championship Game since winning the Super Bowl – with Aikman under center – in 1995. In fact, they have only won five playoff games since then – in 1996, 2009, 2014, 2018 and 2022 – further evidencing that they may need a major shake-up in a bid to turn things around. “If Troy Aikman is not long for TV and none of the major networks – and he should be a number one,” Smith added. “So if none of the major networks are going to make him a number one, if I’m Troy Aikman and I still want to be in the NFL, my God, why would you be associated with the Miami Dolphins and not the Dallas Cowboys and try to actually win another Super Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys? “I mean, they will put a 20-foot-high statue for him in front of AT&T Stadium and in downtown Dallas.”Clearly, something needs to change if Jones is to achieve his goal of seeing the Cowboys win another ring before his time comes, and Aikman joining his team could be just what Dallas needs to get back to winning ways and their glory days. 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