“He’s Human Clickbait” – Craig Carton Calling Troy Aikman ‘An Average Quarterback’ Triggers Wild Reactions On Social Media
Troy Aikman won three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys.
Troy Aikman (Image via Yahoo Sports)
Calling a Hall of Famer like Troy Aikman an “average player’ isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But that didn’t deter Craig Carton from making his stance clear about the Dallas Cowboys’ legendary quarterback.
In a recent segment on SNY on WFAN, Carton stated the biggest asset in Aikman’s arsenal was his strong-arm talent. The Fox Sports analyst also noted the support around Aikman was world-class.
He had HOF WR Michael Irvin, HOF running back Emmitt Smith, a great offensive line, and a strong defense. Aikman greatly benefited from playing with amazing teammates.
Carton said:
I think [Troy] Aikman was an average quarterback. He had a pop-gun arm, but he played behind the best offensive line in football, had the best running back in football at the time, arguably the best wide receiver in football, the best tight end in football, and a top-10 defense. Troy Aikman is thought of as one of the great quarterbacks of his generation because he won three Super Bowls. He did not have a strong arm.
Craig Carton faces backlash for his comments on Troy Aikman
Carton has built a career around making controversial hot takes, and his statement on Aikman is no different. Many would think twice before calling Aikman an average quarterback. Carton just bluntly put his thoughts in the public sphere.

The Dallas Cowboys aren’t exactly the apple of football fans’ eyes, but Carton’s words united the football world regardless of their allegiance.
Learned to not listen to anything this dude has to say years ago. He’s human clickbait.
— Josh Chavis (@JoshChavis65) August 27, 2026
The inability to contextualize data and eras here is truly astounding. John Madden on several occasions called Troy the most accurate QB he’s ever seen …especially in high pressure situations. I’ll side with John 100 time out of 100 https://t.co/FSeNS9f0QS
— trey wingo (@wingoz) August 27, 2026
Makes a fortune to talk sports. Awesome https://t.co/z1c4P6v6IO
— Matt Verderame (@MattVerderame) August 26, 2026
Aikman had an excellent arm. He was accurate, he delivered the ball with authority., That offensive line blocked so well, he was not asked to throw as much as some others. In the offense in Miami, for example, of the Bills … Aikman throws for 4000 yards and 30 TDs a year.… https://t.co/9FrhSqNI8c
— ᑭᖇO ᖴOOTᗷᗩᒪᒪ ᒍOᑌᖇᑎᗩᒪ 🏈 (@NFL_Journal) August 27, 2026
The most egregious thing about this, amazingly enough, is when Carton said that Aikman had arguably the best receiver in football
— JaguarGator9 (@JaguarGator9NFL) August 26, 2026
Who the heck was arguing Michael Irvin over Jerry Rice? https://t.co/Nn7p2dmIFU
Shock jock crap https://t.co/mI8iUdqIIT
— Russell S. Baxter (@BaxFootballGuru) August 27, 2026
No.@craigcartonlive won't get killed for this. Because people know he's a village idiot blathering into the ether to his converts that accept him for the former felon he is.
— Jason Page (@TheBackPage) August 27, 2026
His schtick works on WFAN and WFAN alone.
He's not to be taken seriously. https://t.co/uw9cRq0zJZ
This is absurd if they actually think @TroyAikman had a “pop gun” arm
— Dave Ross (@drosssports) August 26, 2026
So many holes in this revisionist 🏈 history but sure great point I guess 😂😂😂😂🤦🏼♂️ 🎤 https://t.co/Ujz8qI0hJj
Carton has the liberty of critiquing someone’s career, but the stats don’t lie. Aikman wasn’t a run-of-the-mill scrub. He averaged 7.0 yards per attempt and 11.4 yards per completion throughout his career with the Cowboys. He also completed 61.5% of his passes (in 165 regular-season games) and, to date, is renowned for his throwing power and accuracy.
The Cowboys team was filled with superstars. But it still needed a quarterback of Aikman’s caliber to win three Super Bowls (1992, 1993, and 1995). The 1992 Super Bowl against the Buffalo Bills remains a classic. Jim Kelly tore through every defense that year with the Bills. But at the Super Bowl, Aikman prevailed. The former Oklahoma and UCLA star completed 73.3% of his passes for 273 yards and threw 4 touchdowns to secure a memorable victory.
The Cowboys have built great rosters since Aikman’s retirement in 2000. However, the Cowboys have not reached the NFC Championship game since 1995-96, let alone competing for the Super Bowl. This once again proves how valuable Troy Aikman was for the Cowboys. Besides winning three rings, Aikman won a Super Bowl MVP, was named NFL Man of the Year in 1997, and had 6 Pro Bowl selections. He retired in 2001.
Also Read:
Ishan Misra
(5261 Articles Published)