Troy Aikman Says Cowboys Couldn't Have Hired a Better Coach Than Mike McCarthy

Mike McCarthy has Troy Aikman's stamp of approval. 

"I don't think they could have hired a better coach," Aikman said of the new Dallas Cowboys head coach Tuesday, per Jori Epstein of USA Today. "I loved him when he was in Green Bay. I loved the way he approached it with us—he was always honest. I liked his style, liked the way his teams were prepared and his resume speaks for itself.

"I believe if he's allowed to go and run this team the way that he has in Green Bay, I think they'll have success."

The Cowboys hired McCarthy earlier this month after firing Jason Garrett, who spent the last 10 years at the helm. McCarthy was out of football in 2019 after the Green Bay Packers fired him 12 games into the 2018 season. The 56-year-old made nine playoff appearances during his 13-year stint in Green Bay, winning Super Bowl XLV.

Aikman said he believes the Cowboys have the talent to get back into the Super Bowl hunt.

"Yeah. Yes. Without a doubt," Aikman said. "I thought, looking at them, that they were really talented. I would talk to coaches around the league and to a man—there's not many coaches that wouldn't have traded their roster with the Cowboys."

Though he's two decades removed from playing in the NFL, Aikman's word still carries weight in Dallas. The Hall of Famer is the last Cowboys quarterback to win a Super Bowl, a run that will reach a full quarter-century by the end of next season. 

Dallas went 8-8 in 2019, which was enough to get Garrett fired a year removed from winning the NFC East and making it to the divisional round. While the Cowboys had just one losing season under Garrett, he made the playoffs only three times and failed to live up to expectations.

However, McCarthy will be tasked with somehow improving an offense that ranked first in total yards this season. The team retained offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who was viewed as the driving force behind the offensive improvement, but McCarthy typically called plays in Green Bay. McCarthy said Moore will call plays next season, though the coordinator noted the effort will be "collaborative."

If the Cowboys combine McCarthy's Super Bowl knowhow, Moore's continued ascension as a play-caller and some new analytic wrinkles (which McCarthy has touted), there's little reason to think a roster this talented won't compete deep into January in 2020.