Former Cowboys players throwing a little shade and urging Jerry Jones to make changes isn’t exactly new. But truth be told, Jerry rarely takes any of it seriously. If he did, a lot would’ve looked different in Dallas by now. Jones tends to run things his way. And the former Cowboys? Well, they do what they can. From Michael Irvin to Troy Aikman, the legends keep circling back to how America’s Team can and should be doing better. Just last week, Irvin was pressing the Cowboys’ front office to rethink its draft strategy. And now, another former player has entered the conversation, with a bit of hindsight and some nostalgia.
On Wednesday, former Cowboys player Marcus Spears made a special appearance on The Dan Patrick Show. The former DE and current ESPN analyst shared his thoughts on the upcoming NFL Draft, just hours away at the time. During their chat, host Dan Patrick took things back a bit, tossing out a draft-related memory.
“Marcus Spears, you were the 20th overall pick, so you went before Aaron Rodgers,” Patrick pointed out. Before he could continue, Spears chimed in and called it a ‘stupid’ decision by the team not to draft Rodgers instead. When Patrick asked if there was ever a real chance Dallas would pick Rodgers, Spears answered disappointingly, “No, no, there was no thought of taking him.”
ATLANTA, GA – DECEMBER 28: Sportscaster Marcus Spears prior to the Peach Bowl game between the LSU Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners on December 28, 2019 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Well, does Marcus think that the team would have won a Super Bowl if they had drafted Aaron Rodgers at that time? Maybe. Spears was drafted 20th overall, while Rodgers went 24th to the Packers. Back then, the Cowboys were somewhat struggling at the quarterback position. Rodgers would go on to become one of the greatest QBs of that decade, eventually winning Super Bowl XLV with the Packers. Meanwhile, the Cowboys continued their drought, failing to win another Lombardi Trophy.
Back then, the Cowboys’ QB situation was all over the place, cycling through names like Vinny Testaverde and Drew Bledsoe before eventually landing on Tony Romo. Romo became the starter after 2005 and continued to be for eight seasons. But not without his share of ups and downs. That’s exactly what Marcus pointed out. He highlighted Romo’s struggles to make a point why passing on Rodgers might’ve been a big miss for Dallas.
Revisiting Dallas’ QB gamble with Marcus Spears
In 2003, the Cowboys signed an undrafted free agent, Tony Romo. For three years, he sat behind three different starting QBs and juggled between practice squads and active rosters. It was in the 2006 season that Romo was named the starting QB. In his first year as the starting QB, the team made it to the playoffs. Eventually losing to the Seahawks in the Wild Card round.
While Romo has impressive regular-season stats, he is not as successful as Aaron Rodgers as a quarterback. The former QB’s postseason performances were often not good enough. He played 156 games over his 16-year career. On the other hand, Rodgers is one of the best QBs of his era. So far, the former Packers QB has played 243 NFL games and will likely play some more. Romo has only four playoff appearances, while Rodgers has 11. The former Packers QB has 475 TDs (as of 2025), and Tony has 258 career TDs.
Reflecting on Dallas’ draft decision again, Spears admitted that if he had the chance to do it all over again, he would have taken Aaron Rodgers in the draft. “They didn’t feel like they needed a quarterback, and Romo turned out to be pretty good for some years, but you know, it’s hindsight 20/20, right? Like, if I were drafting again, I would take Aaron Rodgers before me,” Spears said.
Dan Patrick then asked the former DE what he would have done with Romo. Spears, in his no-BS approach, humorously responded, “He probably would never see the field, go somewhere else and play.” While Marcus agreed that Romo might have had a longer career if not for injuries, the former DE playfully joked, “He got hurt, fortunately, he got signed by CBS, but you know what, the Lord works in mysterious ways.“
Well, that was quite an honest take on his former teammate. Romo retired in 2017 after he requested a release from the Cowboys. But if you think about what Spears said, you could argue that it was a missed opportunity for Dallas.
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