Troy Aikman says he almost came out of retirement to play for Dolphins

Few players totally lose the itch to play after retirement and Troy Aikman is no exception.

Revealed in NFL Network's "A Football Life" on Friday, the Dallas Cowboys' Hall of Fame quarterback said he almost came out of retirement to join his former offensive coordinator Norv Turner with the Miami Dolphins in 2002.

"I almost ... I was going to come out of retirement my third year out," Aikman told Fox Sports announcer Thom Brennaman on the show. "I got a call from (head coach Dave) Wannstedt and he was the head coach. He was with the Dolphins when they made a run at me. He says, 'I’d like to get with you.' Norv (Turner) was the offensive coordinator. So I visited with him, he talked to me.

"He says, 'Do you think you could come back and play?' I called him up ... and said, 'You know what? I think I want to do it.' I say, 'Okay, well, I’m going to start training as if I’m coming back.' So I did."

The Dolphins decided not to offer Aikman a deal after their initial talks, opting to stick with undrafted free agent Jay Fielder at quarterback instead.

- With h/t to Reddit