Troy Aikman doesn’t want to be thought of as ‘critical’

To many viewers, Troy Aikman has experienced something of a career rejuvenation since jumping ship to ESPN and Monday Night Football.

The idea goes that Aikman, with a historic paycheck and a comfortable perch calling top games in primetime for the Worldwide Leader, has gotten more comfortable. In particular, more comfortable with being critical.

Whether Aikman is talking about the Cowboys’ disastrous deadline deal for Quinnen Williams, Philadelphia’s puzzling play-calling late in last week’s game, the questionable officiating of Patrick Mahomes, the inconsistency of Bears star Caleb Williams, or a horrible late-September tilt between Cincinnati and Denver, this season has already given audiences several memorable Aikman takes.

But despite a noticeable shift in Aikman’s willingness to let criticism fly, the veteran color commentator said in a recent interview that he believes he is just doing his job. He very much doesn’t want to be seen as the big, mean, critical game analyst.

“I’ve never viewed my approach to it as though I’m going to be critical,” Aikman told Front Office Sports in a Q&A published Thursday. “I honestly don’t want to be thought of as that because I don’t think that I am [critical]. What I do feel that I am … is I feel like I’m honest.”

Aikman even insisted that his coverage of Williams’ winning performance against the Washington Commanders earlier in the season — which earned him a mention in Williams’ Instagram story and a swipe from Bears coach Ben Johnson — was more than fair.

Generally, Aikman told FOS that he tries to stand apart from other NFL game analysts by not hyperbolizing. Rather than say nobody else in the NFL can do X, Y, or Z, Aikman prefers to highlight the action more straightforwardly.

Perhaps in an industry full of uncritical coverage, Aikman merely stands apart by being honest and fair. Aikman said his goal, above all, is still to be respectful.

“I do hear it from a lot of people, and they say that they find it a bit refreshing, but I never want to cross the line where I’m not respectful to the participants on the field because I do know how hard the position is,” Aikman added.