Jerry Jones is sure to spark wild rumors

Let’s start the search for the next coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

Good luck, Prospects. Mike McCarthy tried, but in five years he couldn’t take the franchise further in the pursuit of championship glory than his predecessors – including Jason Garrett, Wade Phillips and Bill Parcells – so they’re starting over.

Of course there will be great drama. After all, this is Jerry Jones’ team. After a week in limbo, as Jones and McCarthy met to reflect on another season that turned to dust and project the future, it ended Monday with McCarthy, 61, becoming a free agent as coach and another major job opening emerged on the NFL landscape.

Wanted: Head coach for an underperforming team. A lot of attention is being paid to the NFL’s most valuable franchise. A high salary comes with many perks. Must be willing to operate in the shadow of the league’s most high-profile owner (and GM). The pressure is enormous to secure the traditional franchise’s first Super Bowl berth after 29 years of drought (and even more). Final word on staff moves? Forget it. Comes with core talent Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons…and serious salary cap issues. Not to mention the fan tours at team headquarters. They come with the culture.

There’s a healthy debate about how desirable the job will be for top-notch coaches – if you watched Cowboys legend Troy Aikman’s interpretation on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” pregame show, there’s considerable doubt about that – but someone has to do it.

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Despite the perceived disadvantages, the Cowboys’ job continues The The mega stage — “just the big room,” is how Parcells described the lure of coming out of retirement for the 2003 performance — will be tempting enough as one of only 32 in the league.

McCarthy came with his Super Bowl resume, but despite getting the best of Prescott and winning the locker room, time was running out. Not to mention, the Cowboys (7-10 in 2024, after three straight 12-5 seasons) played hard for McCarthy, all without Prescott, who left midseason with a hamstring injury. Jones’ compliments in recent weeks did not ensure that the coach, who had publicly expressed his desire to return, were not valid hints after all.

In many ways, it appears that the stage was set for McCarthy a year ago, when the Cowboys suffered arguably the worst playoff loss in franchise history to the Green Bay Packers. It also seemed to some extent that McCarthy was doomed after his contract wasn’t renewed last year. The Cowboys signed Prescott and Lamb to premium contract extensions, but they weren’t finalized until just before the start of the season and toward the end of training camp, respectively, causing drama. Worse, the Cowboys had a miserable time during free agency – for example, Derrick Henry wanted to play for Dallas, where he has a home, but didn’t even get a call for the Cowboys, and Jones claimed they couldn’t do it not afford.

Now look at Henry. The Cowboys certainly could have used him.

Ultimately, McCarthy couldn’t deliver the championship run that had eluded the Cowboys since the mid-1990s, when the franchise last appeared in an NFC title game. The fact that his last, injury-plagued group was less talented than previous groups was no cause for celebration.

The assumption that Jones couldn’t find a better coach on the market now needs to be proven, while McCarthy, who was kept in check last week when Jones declined the Chicago Bears’ request for an interview with him, is interviewing with… the Bears will lead.

But who suits the Cowboys now?

It’s almost a given to expect Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to be considered. Moore, who moved from Prescott’s backup quarterback to begin his coaching career with the Cowboys, was so valued by Jones that McCarthy took over Moore as his hand-picked coordinator and game manager when he took the job in 2020. On the other hand, Moore left the Eagles in 2023 for a reason, and his first year with the Eagles – buoyed by Saquon Barkley’s phenomenal season – raised so many questions about the Eagles’ viability in the passing game.

Then there are Detroit Lions coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn. Every team with a lead has targeted these two crucial factors in Detroit’s ability to secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. Johnson, who pushes the buttons for a creative offense that the Cowboys thwarted during an October loss, is a hot name on the market for the third straight year. Glenn’s value, meanwhile, has skyrocketed as his defense has persevered despite massive injuries, including the broken fibula and tibia that Pro Bowl defensive end Aidan Hutchinson suffered in Dallas. There’s also a familiarity factor with the energetic Glenn, who played cornerback under Parcells for two seasons with the Cowboys.

However, the timing could prevent Dallas from pursuing any of the coaches still in the playoffs. Under NFL rules, interviews with coaches of existing playoff teams cannot be conducted until their teams are eliminated – or after the Super Bowl. However, had the Cowboys parted ways with McCarthy last week, they could have conducted virtual interviews with those top prospects during a window last week. Still, the possibilities can’t be ignored – even if the Cowboys are behind eight balls because the process of cutting ties with McCarthy has dragged on.

Yes, this is Jerry’s team. Therefore, one can never rule out the possibility of a stunning move that shocks the NFL landscape.

Hello, Coach Prime?

Multiple reports surfaced Monday that Jones had already spoken to Deion Sanders about the job, with the Colorado coach later confirming the connection. Stay tuned.

One thing is certain: Sanders could certainly handle the big stage. And given his years with the Cowboys during his Hall of Fame journey (including a Super Bowl ring), there’s undoubtedly a connection to Jones. No one is better prepared for the Cowboys’ circus-like environment than Sanders, whose rise during two seasons in Colorado continues to raise questions about whether he ultimately wants to coach in the NFL.

Sanders has apparently softened his previous position that he did not want to train at the professional level. He recently claimed that he would be open to the idea of coaching his sons, star quarterback Shedeur and safety Shilo. With Prescott receiving a massive contract extension in September that makes him the highest-paid player in the NFL, it’s unreasonable to expect Shedeur Sanders to end up with the Cowboys. Still, a Las Vegas Journal-Review report last week claimed that Sanders had some interest in the Raiders’ vacant job. If he was considering the Raiders, why not the Cowboys? Especially if he is flexible when it comes to the quarterback. And Sanders, by the way, still has a home in the Dallas area.

In any case, Jones has claimed – at least going back to Sanders’ tenure at Jackson State – that he viewed the Hall of Famer as a potential NFL head coach.

Other things to think about: Would Jones take over the college ranks and try to lure Steve Sarkisian from Texas? Would he defy the NFL and go after Jon Gruden, despite the former coach’s lawsuit against the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell? Would he call the Pittsburgh Steelers and inquire about a trade for the embattled but respected Mike Tomlin?

With Jones you just never know. Remember, he came into the NFL with a shock in 1989, replacing the legendary Tom Landry with Jimmy Johnson, and it worked. Then, when he parted ways with Johnson in 1994, he brought in another college coach, Barry Switzer.

Did you hear that about Jason Witten? Fans have made a lot of noise online suggesting that the team pursue the Hall of Fame-winning former tight end, who began his coaching career and his son’s education at Liberty Christian High School in Argyle, Texas.

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Jerry Jones is sure to spark wild rumors

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