Brian Schottenheimer will become the 10th head coach in Dallas Cowboys history. But former quarterback Cam Newton doesn’t see Schottenheimer keeping his job under owner Jerry Jones for very long.
Newton argued during an appearance on ESPN’s “First Take” that Jones is actually planning to tank the 2025 season for quarterback Arch Manning and legendary college football head coach Nick Saban.
Could the Cowboys Tank for Arch Manning?
There’s two things Newton has developed in his short time as a media personality — outlandish attires and predictions.
On Jan. 29, Newton suggested Jones and the Cowboys are planning to actually throw away the 2025 season to then pair Manning with Saban in 2026.
“I think they’re tanking for Arch,” Newton said on Jan. 30. “Make it make sense. Coach Schottenheimer has one-and-done written all over him.
“Why do you want one and done? You get the first pick of the draft. Not only that, I’m going to go back into my Godfather bag and say, ‘Ok, Jerry Jones is a businessman, and he’s going to get into his Don Corleone mentality, and he’s going to give him a deal he can’t refuse. Who? Nick Saban.
“Go get Nick Saban as your head coach, and Arch Manning as your No. 1 pick.”
Wow
Cam Newton drop the bombshell saying that the #Cowboys to tank the season to land number one pick to get #Texas QB Arch Manning pic.twitter.com/KwdM9lz5jQ
— David Malandra Jr (@DaveMReports) January 30, 2025
Newton’s prediction left ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith about as speechless as he ever gets. But Smith then responded, saying, “I don’t know if he’s wrong.”
Manning is already getting billed as a potential top selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. Part of his hype is his last name, but Manning is projected to be the Texas Longhorns starting quarterback this fall.
In the 2023 recruiting class, Manning was also not only a five-star recruit but the No. 1 college prospect.
Newton Begins Rumors Jerry Jones Is Eyeing Nick Saban
Rumors have previously linked Jones to six-time Super Bowl winning coach Bill Belichick. But in Newton’s hypothetical, the Cowboys would pursue the seven-time national champion head coach.
That’s where Newton lost “First Take” host Elle Duncan.
“Nick Saban left college because it was becoming too much like the pros,” Duncan said. “Do we really think in his 70s that he wants to sign up for that?”
Newton responded by saying Jones will “give him an offer he can’t refuse.” Duncan added, with both of them missing the true meaning of the movie quote, that Saban now makes good money in a pressure-free lifestyle on television.
To Duncan’s point, money probably wouldn’t be the driving force behind Jones landing Saban as the franchise’s 11th head coach. It would likely have to be the prestige of coaching the Cowboys and/or attempting to become just the fourth head coach to win both a national championship and a Super Bowl.
Saban previously coached in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins from 2005-06. He posted a 15-17 record before bolting for the Alabama head coaching job.
If the Cowboys really wanted to pursue Saban, there was nothing stopping them from that this offseason. Saban currently works for ESPN as a football analyst.
To Newton’s point, though, it might be easier for Jones and the Cowboys to convince Saban to come to Dallas if they have the opportunity to draft Manning.
Of course, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is another unmentioned factor in Newton’s hypothetical Manning-Saban Dallas union. Prescott signed a four-year, $240 million extension in September. The earliest, most realistic exit the Cowboys can make in that deal is following the 2027 season.
The PFN QB+ metrics ranked Prescott the No. 30 overall quarterback from the 2024 season.
