And so, Jerry Jones, desperate for attention, has taken another step closer to his dream combination of sports team owner and toxic-sludge-covered cartoon villain by firing head coach Mike McCarthy two weeks after the end of the regular season (this after McCarthy too at the beginning of the coaching carousel blocked the opportunity to conduct interviews with other teams).

Of course, pointing this out will elicit two very different reactions. One comes from a segment of the Dallas Cowboys’ fan base that is tired of their franchise being run like a rusty Disney World and longs for an owner who can at least pretend to take things seriously and appear so of professionalism can take precedence over the ESPN debate show-style entertainment. The other comes from a group of bizarre sycophants who always seem to believe that Jones is playing some version of three-dimensional chess (the 30-year gap between Super Bowls is, of course, part of the long game) and fans of that are money he makes and doesn’t share with them.

Regardless, whether the breakup with McCarthy was because Jones wanted to make it look like McCarthy had quit (when in reality McCarthy rightly wouldn’t accept a new deal that was below industry standards) or whether Jones was genuinely taken aback , when someone finally had enough to walk away from the Cowboys, it doesn’t matter. Dallas is now at least two weeks behind a half-dozen other NFL franchises that have already poured hundreds of hours (and likely hundreds of thousands of dollars) into head coaching searches.

I want to note something else here that I think is important: Jones brought McCarthy back in 2024, but not with an extension. That means he brought back a coach he didn’t like enough to keep him around long-term (at least back then). Then Jones and McCarthy parted ways this year because the two “couldn’t agree on the length of the contract,” according to NFL Network. So Jones was once again willing to bring back a coach he didn’t trust enough to pay the industry standard. As a Cowboys fan, remember this. Jones fails again in his attempt to appear “all in.” These are two different cases of clearly failing to put the best team on the field (or the best coaching staff to manage it from the sidelines).

Let’s break down all the components here:

Is this a good job?

In summary, mostly. Dallas still has an elite edge player (Micah Parsons), an elite quarterback (Dak Prescott), an elite wide receiver (CeeDee Lamb) and the bones of a solid secondary. In terms of pure talent, it probably is preferably Work. In terms of unnecessary attributes floating around the team, it’s probably one of the worst. I ranked them last week and broke them all down. A new head coach has to love this type of environment, love being around people all the time, love being a salesman and showman, and have five times the patience of a single parent. They will also need to have the interpersonal skills of a saint while dealing with a series of star players that Jones will wait until the very last second to pay (above the market valuestrangely, because of the wait).

The Cowboys Are the Jones family, so a coach looking to put his own stamp on the franchise will be constantly reminded of the pecking order. Dallas has three picks in the top 100, but is projected to be only about $11 million under the cap entering the 2025 season (before any cuts or restructures, and Dallas has a handful of quality players who will do both). not coming back next year or coming back at a heavily discounted price).

Dallas has an excellent staff and has consistently found good players in later draft rounds. Still, the roster has become increasingly top-heavy and navigating it in a large market will be complicated.

Where could this search lead?

Before the coaching carousel beginsI ended almost every phone call and asked anyone who knew of a serious Jones-Deion Sanders reunion to give me at least three weeks’ notice so I could mentally prepare myself (and buy much stronger Canadian headache medication).

And while that connection has yet to be made, I wonder if Jones would consider the college market again. In recent weeks, we’ve seen Iowa State’s Matt Campbell and Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman draw interest. Former Stanford coach David Shaw has given interviews. I’m told Freeman’s advantage is that being the head coach of Notre Dame is very similar to being the head coach of the Cowboys – in fact, it’s probably the college equivalent. There are so many CEO-like responsibilities and it takes so much finesse to handle a massive, international fan base and a multi-billion dollar brand.

There’s so much fun with oil-rich boosters in college football that, in my opinion, the Cowboys’ job would somehow seem normal.

Jones was also linked to USC’s Lincoln Riley several years ago before hiring McCarthy. I only mention this because an NFL coach would almost certainly take the Cowboys’ job even after Jones criticized his former head coach, but college coaches offer Jones more influence. Many coaches are itching to get out of the Wild West of the NIL.

Otherwise, Dallas will be looking for what the team almost always looks for. A trainer that is powerful but not too powerful. Charismatic, but not too charismatic. The consensus defensive front candidate, Mike Vrabel, just signed a contract with the New England Patriots. Offensive frontrunner Ben Johnson wants a truly equal level of coordination with the front office, something no Cowboys coach has had since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Who are the candidates?

Let’s address some individually and some as a group.

• Steve Sarkisian, head coach, Texas; Lincoln Riley, head coach, USC; Deion Sanders, head coach, Colorado; David Shaw, Director of Human Resources, Denver Broncos

Each of these coaches has ties to Jones. Shaw works with former Cowboys DC Sean Payton, who now lives in Denver. Sarkisian is making a name for himself near Austin as the Longhorns’ head coach. Riley, as noted above, was a top candidate when this position was last advertised. Sanders is one of Jones’ most famous and remarkable players ever.

I can’t imagine Jones would pass up the opportunity to get attention not Interview at least some of these candidates. Even if Sanders were asked, it would result in a news cycle full of attitudes and opinions as deep and as wide as the Pacific. Jones understands why idiots like me need to run to a computer and start writing about his product.

• Bill Belichick, head coach, North Carolina

Belichick was closely linked to Jones during last year’s cycle when the Cowboys decided not to make a trade, and he has consistently spoken highly of Jones in public. After June 1, the buyout on Belichick’s contract in North Carolina drops to $1 million (which would be less prohibitive than $10 million, or about what Jones could have spent on Derrick Henry in 2024). This would be a big move that would fulfill several of Jones’ wishes: a spectacular move, the hiring of an established coach with Super Bowl credentials, and a coach who needs Jones to secure the NFL wins record as much as Jones does needs him to win another Super Bowl.

• Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator, Detroit Lions

Let’s assume McCarthy is now pushing forward to take the post in New Orleans, where he has strong ties and connections – or at least enough to shake the foundation of Glenn’s candidacy. Glenn is a 52-year-old Texas-born former cowboy with experience in the Bill Parcells tree. There are many positive things about his candidacy.

• Joe Brady, offensive coordinator, Buffalo Bills

If Brady somehow gets cut – which seems increasingly unlikely the better Buffalo looks in the postseason – he could end up in Dallas. Brady has connections to Payton to consider, as well as experience in major college football. He fits the once-coveted young play-caller archetype that Jones so aggressively pursued with Jason Garrett.

• Liam Coen, offensive coordinator, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Coen is a Sean McVay disciple and most of them had tremendous (and almost immediate) success in the NFL. His offense this season was incredible and became the only Offensive since 2000 with at least 28 points per game, six yards per play, a red zone rate of 65% or better, a third-down conversion rate of 50% or better. This is one of a total of 798 crimes during this time. Jones knows offense is key, and assuming Ben Johnson doesn’t want to deal with the headaches of Dallas, Brady and Coen are the signal-callers behind the NFL’s best and most entertaining units right now.

• Bill O’Brien, head coach, Boston College; Matt Nagy, offensive coordinator, Kansas City Chiefs; Brian Flores, defensive coordinator, Minnesota Vikings; Kliff Kingsbury, offensive coordinator, Washington Commanders; Arthur Smith, offensive coordinator, Pittsburgh Steelers

Each of these names is connected to Jones in some way. In this particular category, we’re highlighting former coaches with head coaching experience, which could be something of a requirement for Jones at this point in his life. Remember, McCarthy was supposedly Jones’ “give me a Super Bowl before it’s too late” candidate who brought some Lombardi Trophy values ​​with him. Most of these coaches have had success at the NFL level with poor quarterback play – with the exception of Kingsbury and depending on what you want to label Deshaun Watson, since we now have a larger sample of his career. Flores and O’Brien have ties to Belichick, while Kingsbury made a name for himself at Texas Tech.

• Just out of left field

With Jones you never know. Former Steelers legend Bill Cowher? Jon Gruden? Randy Allen (the winningest active high school football coach in Texas)? Rex Ryan? Ice cold Steve Austin? This is the only search I expect to contain one or two names that are complete and utter curveballs. To me, Jones has just discovered the algorithm and he will take full advantage of this moment.