Getty Image / Ayshia Collins
Since Dallas Cowboys legendary quarterback Troy Aikman retired due to injuries following the 2000 season, there have been plenty of changes in the rules surrounding how and when quarterbacks can be hit. The Hall-of-Famer probably would’ve had a longer career had those rules been in place to help protect him from an estimated ten concussions.
Recently, Aikman sounded off on those rule changes and discussed how different playing the position now is compared to playing quarterback was when he was in his prime.
ESPN’s top color commentator will be pairing up with longtime partner Joe Buck for another year of Monday Night Football after jumping from Fox to ESPN prior to the 2022 NFL Season. As he’s gearing up for the Monday Night Football slate, which will kick off with the Jets traveling to take on the 49ers, he took some time to appear on the “This is Football” podcast with host Kevin Clark.
Clark asked Troy Aikman what thing about the current NFL that he would’ve most liked to have. Here’s what he had to say.
“There’s a lot to like, as far as what it means for the production of a quarterback currently, but, but for me, I would probably say the protection on the quarterback. I think, my career, I played 12 years, I would have played much longer. And I think that the norm going forward is going to be, we’re going to see quarterbacks playing up until they’re 40 years old and beyond. I think if anyone retires before they’re 40 it’s going to be a little bit surprising. One, because of the salaries, but then also, the quarterbacks just aren’t taking the punishment that we took back when I played. You know, you get a false sense of security back there in the pocket, knowing that you’re not going to get hit, you hang on to the ball a little bit more. And anytime a quarterback does get, I see him there immediately looking for a flag. I should put together a highlight reel of the worst hits that I took, and you would think that these players would probably have been banned from the NFL, and there was not even a penalty on the play.” Troy Aikman said.
https://twitter.com/bykevinclark/status/1831321620394189223
He’s not wrong. If you go back and look at a game from the mid-90’s, quarterbacks were getting absolutely hammered for hits that would clearly be penalties today. And, it’s not just hit to the head that are now illegal, but getting hit low while being defenseless, as well. Those low hits cause a lot of injuries, and the current rules should prolong how long quarterbacks can play at a high level as their careers advance.
Aikman played for the Cowboys from 1989-2000, winning three Super Bowls and making six Pro Bowls.