Longtime NFL analyst Troy Aikman hasn’t suited up for an NFL game in over two decades. But on Monday, Aikman shared his belief that he would have a good chance of beating Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston in a race.
In the second quarter of the Week 13 Monday Night Football matchup between the Denver Broncos and the Cleveland Browns, Winston had an unfortunate lowlight, throwing an interception that Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto would return 71 yards for a touchdown.
THAT JUST HAPPENED.#ProBowlVote » https://t.co/Of0OjCw1PX pic.twitter.com/fVrh5BuLgo
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) December 3, 2024
Winston was on his back after taking a hit after the throw. But according to Aikman, it wouldn’t have mattered if Winston had been on his feet, as he believes even he could beat Winston in a foot race.
“Winston was on the ground, but he wouldn’t have caught him either. He runs a five-flat forty (yard dash). I think I could beat him,” said Aikman, which got a “wow” out of his on-air partner Joe Buck. “He was on the ground and then you are talking about Nik Bonitto. He can really run, so nobody was going to catch him.”
Joe Buck, who was clearly still shocked by the statement from his 58-year-old colleague, then asked Aikman whether he meant he could beat Winston now in a race or back in his playing days.
Aikman responded by saying he would “for sure” beat Winston back in the day, insinuating that his initial statement was talking about a current-day race.
“In the day, for sure. I tore my hamstring a year ago at Barry’s Bootcamp. And I’ll be darned. That thing still hasn’t healed up. It hurts when I walk. That’s why I said maybe.”
Could Troy Aikman beat Jameis Winston in a race?
“He runs a 5-flat 40. I think, I think, I could beat him…In the day, for sure. I tore my hamstring a year ago at Barry’s Bootcamp. And I’ll be darned. That thing still hasn’t healed up.” pic.twitter.com/yq5Hv78y8U
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 3, 2024
Assuming Winston runs as fast now as he did before getting drafted, Aikman was right about his speed. During the Scouting Combine ahead of the 2015 NFL Draft, Winston ran a 4.97 40-yard dash.
That being said, it would be shocking if Aikman was able to run a five-second 40-yard dash. Back in 1989 when he was in peak physical performance as a rookie for the Dallas Cowboys, Aikman claimed he ran a 4.7 40-yard dash.
Now that 35 years have passed, it certainly seems incredibly unlikely that Aikman is just a third of a second slower currently than he was then.
Maybe it is just the instinctual competitor in Aikman that drove him to make that claim. But considering he seemingly hasn’t fully recovered from a hamstring tear last year, don’t expect him to be going head-to-head with Winston in a race anytime soon…
