At the start of this century, the world was introduced to Tom Brady, who went on to become the most successful player in NFL history. However, his career could have taken a completely different path, as Troy Aikman, the Dallas Cowboys legend, had a significant opportunity to change it.

Back in 2001, Drew Bledsoe’s injury gave Tom Brady the opportunity to start his NFL career. He entered the league as the 199th overall pick in the 2000 Draft, so there weren’t too many expectations regarding what he could achieve.

However, Brady silenced all his doubters by becoming the most successful player the league has ever seen. He managed to win seven Super Bowls: six with the New England Patriots and one more with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Definitely a living legend that will be remembered forever.

Troy Aikman nearly joined Tom Brady’s AFC East rivals in 2003

Troy Aikman could have prevented Tom Brady from winning his second Super Bowl. The Dallas Cowboys legend has confessed that he nearly came out of retirement to play for the Miami Dolphins, rivals of the New England Patriots in the AFC East.

“I had a chance initially and I was gonna do it quite honestly,” Aikman told Schefter, as transcribed by Awful Announcing, about unretiring. “I was gonna come back and the Dolphins were looking at me. Dave Wannstedt was the head coach. Norv Turner was the offensive coordinator. I had trained that offseason, prepared to come back and play. And they felt like they were a quarterback away from achieving what they wanted to do.

“So, I was gonna do it. I thought, ‘Well, I’ll give it a shot.’ Rick Spielman was the [senior vice president of football operations] and he ultimately was the one, I believe, that decided not to sign me, which was probably a good thing from their perspective. And it was a great thing from my perspective because they weren’t a quarterback away. … They were not very good. It all worked out just fine.”

That season, the Dolphins finished with a 10-6 record, while the Patriots won 14 games and lost only two. Could Aikman’s arrival have prevented Brady from winning the division title and then Super Bowl XXXVIII? We’ll never know.

How many Super Bowls did Troy Aikman win?

Troy Aikman played for the Dallas Cowboys from 1989 to 2000, winning three Super Bowls with the NFC East team (XXVII, XXVIII, XXX).