NFL: Era ends in Dallas

The era of three Super Bowl Championships, more than 50 wins, and America’s Team ended Wednesday in Dallas as the Cowboys cut Troy Aikman. The player who was the first draft choice of Jerry Jones must now look for work, following the Dallas decision to let their all-time leading passer go.

Aikman, who was drafted in 1989 as the number one pick from UCLA helped build the dying glory that was the Cowboys back into a perennial Super Bowl contender.

However, he met the fate of most NFL veterans, as we cut to avoid the Cowboys paying him a $7 million bonus if he was still on their roster by Thursday. He will however still eat $10 million on the cap for next season.

"We always shared a mutual respect for what was in the best interest of Troy and the Dallas Cowboys," owner Jerry Jones said. "In the end, it was in the best interest for him to have a timely opportunity to entertain all of his options. He'll be missed on the field at Texas Stadium. He'll always be a Dallas Cowboy and always be a very important part of this organization."

The six-time pro Bowler threw for 32,492 yards and 165 touchdowns over his 12-year career. He was the MVP of Super Bowl 27 and also helped lead the Cowboys to wins in Super Bowls 28 and 30. Despite his recent run of concussions, he still feels that he has ability left.

"As far as what's in the best interest of this club long-term, the right thing was done," Aikman said. "My desires are to continue to play.”

Aikman has sustained 10 concussions over his career. He also received two in 11 games this season and although his hall of fame numbers are unquestioned, he states that he still would like to play football. He also feels that the decision was clearly one of money.

"This was as much a salary-cap casualty as it was anything else," Aikman said. "I believe it's more to do with how do you work the pure numbers that were involved where it makes sense to not jeopardize the future of the Cowboys down the road."

Aikman’s list of achievements are endless, besides holding every major Dallas passing record, he is one of the league’s best playoff quarterbacks. Aikman won his first seven starts before finishing 10-1 over his career in the postseason. He and his agent do not feel that his previous injuries or lack of recent good play will scare off teams. The Cowboys are just 39-41 since their last Super Bowl and they went just 5-11 last season.

As the sun sets on a legend's career, one can only wonder. While he is truly great, why does he leave the team he loves? And how much greater would he have been without 10 paralyzing concussions?