Dallas Cowboys NFL Blockbuster Trades: Imagine Michael Irvin Leaving Troy Aikman?

The former Cowboys wide receiver speaks out on Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams' recent moves

FRISCO - The NFL offseason has been one of shock and awe this season as some big names have made some big moves. Either by trade or free agency, franchise players will be with new teams for 2022.

For example, two of the game's biggest standout wide receivers, Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill. left their former teams, and their star quarterbacks.

Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin

Troy Aikman

Michael Irvin

Adams has been playing alongside Aaron Rodgers since arriving in Green Bay in 2014 as a second-round draft pick. Hill joined the Kansas City Chiefs in 2016 as a fifth-round pick and was joined by Patrick Mahomes the following season.

After offseason trades, Adams now plays for the Las Vegas Raiders, and Hill will play in Miami for the Dolphins.

Former Cowboys wideout and Hall of Famer Michael Irvin doesn't think he could've done what Adams and Hill did. He told the New York Post that he could not have left his quarterback, Troy Aikman.

“You left Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes — I don’t know if I could’ve ever left Troy Aikman,” Irvin said. “I don’t think I could’ve done that.” 

What about the idea of living in Las Vegas instead of Green Bay and Miami instead of Kansas City?

“You can still go live there in your house in the offseason, but I’m not leaving those quarterbacks,” he said. “Let’s see how this plays out. You’re making $30 million and you can have houses in two places. I think the most important thing is taking care of what’s on the football field.

Tyreek Hill

Davante Adams

Patrick Mahomes

“They had some great quarterbacks. I’m interested in seeing how it works out with Tua (Tagovailoa) and (Derek) Carr, but it’s surely not Mahomes and Rodgers. If you make that move, do you shorten the time you’re making $30 million a year because all of a sudden, you’re not making the same impact? 

"This is a meritocracy. If you’re not putting up the numbers to support that $30 million, they’ll come for you, just like Dallas did with Amari Cooper and his $20 million. It would’ve been hard for me to make a business decision on leaving those quarterbacks.”

Irvin clearly played in a different era with a different mindset. And while for us old timers, that seems like a much better time, these days, it's rare for a player to spend an entire Hall of Fame career with the same team, much less the same quarterback. And that's just a simple fact.