10 players who belong in Dallas Cowboys Hall of Shame
By Randy Gurzi
5. Chad Hutchinson, Quarterback
Again looking to replace Troy Aikman, the Dallas Cowboys decided to take an unconventional approach to try and find their next star as they signed a former baseball player by the name of Chad Hutchinson.
After struggling in the minor leagues, Hutchinson held an open workout for NFL teams with the Kansas City Chiefs and Chicago Bears showing up along with Dallas. In the end, the Cowboys won the bidding war for his services, giving him a three-year deal worth $5 million — with $3.1 million as a bonus.
It was a lot to pay for a guy who hadn’t played football in roughly five years and when he did play at Stanford, he had just 20 touchdowns and 22 picks in two seasons. Still, the Joneses saw something in him and tried to turn the team over during the 2002 season.
As a rookie, Hutchinson was good on 50.8 percent of his passes for 1,555 yards with seven touchdowns and eight picks. He also led them to just two wins in nine starts. Hutchinson then played in just one game in 2003, throwing two passes and completing one before being let go ahead of the 2004 season — but not before the team had sent him to play for the Rhein Fire in NFL Europe where he suffered an injury.