IRVING, Texas -- Brett Favre played for the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings after building a Hall of Fame career with the Green Bay Packers. Peyton Manning is in his third season with the Denver Broncos after building his Hall of Fame career with the Indianapolis Colts.

Andy Reid, then the head coach at Philadelphia, inquired with Troy Aikman to join the Eagles in 2002. Mitchell Reibel/Getty Images

What would you have thought if Troy Aikman, winner of three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, played for the Philadelphia Eagles?

According to Aikman, it could have happened in 2002. Aikman had last played in the NFL during the 2000 season, logging 11 games for the Cowboys.

Then, Eagles coach Andy Reid called up Aikman to see if he would be interested in playing again after Donovan McNabb broke an ankle. Aikman was actually at halftime of a game he was calling at Qualcomm Stadium for Fox when a producer told him to make a phone call.

He said, 'Hey, did you hear what happened?' I said, 'Yeah, we did a game break.' He said, 'Well I want to talk to you about coming to Philadelphia,'" Aikman told The Afternoon Show with Tim Cowlishaw and Matt Mosley on ESPN Radio 103.3 FM in Dallas on Monday. "I said, 'Andy, we're in the middle of a broadcast. It's halftime right now.' He said, 'I know, I'm watching the game.' So I said, 'OK, I'll call you after the game.'"

After the game Aikman talked to his Fox producer and made a phone call to Norv Turner, his former offensive coordinator with the Dallas Cowboys and confidante. It didn't help Reid's cause that Aikman was at the home he had in Santa Barbara, California, as he pondered a return to the game.

"This was around November or whenever it was, and I woke up and I'm thinking, I can either enjoy the next couple of days in Santa Barbara, California, it's about 65, 70 degrees, or I'm going to be on a plane flying to Philadelphia and probably going to be playing on Monday night against the 49ers,'" Aikman said. "I called Andy and I said, 'Hey, I'm honored that you've called me, but I'm going to stay put.'"

For the Eagles, it worked out OK. A.J. Feeley went 4-1 as McNabb's replacement. McNabb was able to return for the playoffs and Philadelphia made it to the NFC Championship Game that year.