Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made his weekly appearance on 105.3 The Fan and discussed the reality of teams exploring his coaching staff as candidates for head coaching vacancies across the NFL.
Jones’ Response to Other Teams’ Requests To Interview Cowboys Coaches
Black Monday has come and gone, but the aftermath has just begun — especially for the Cowboys, whose coaches are generating high interest from other teams.
Multiple reports have stated that numerous teams have asked for permission to interview DC Dan Quinn for potential head coaching opportunities. Teams that have reached out for permission include the Washington Commanders, the Los Angeles Chargers, and the Carolina Panthers.
Quinn has been no stranger to this conversation, as he has been a viable candidate for a head coaching position since his tenure in Dallas started in 2021.
The Cowboys’ front office has retained Quinn for the last two offseasons, despite the defensive coordinator taking interviews.
During Jones’ interview, he said Quinn wasn’t the only coach teams had asked permission to speak with, saying, “We’ve had several notices. We don’t have to give permission anymore under most circumstances.”
Jones said he expected “three handfuls” of requests to talk to his coaching staff, estimating around 15 or 20.
He also mentioned that this is common because of the turnover in the NFL right now.
Will McClay, the Cowboys’ Vice President of Player Personnel, is another name coming up in the head coaching conversations. The Dallas Morning News reported that the Commanders and Chargers also requested to speak with McClay.
Jones acknowledges the team’s success as a factor in why teams find his coaching staff as viable candidates.
Although he didn’t allude to whether or not he would grant permission for the teams to interview Quinn or McClay, time will tell.
Jones on McCarthy’s Job Security
As for another looming question in Dallas, will Mike McCarthy‘s job be on the line if the Cowboys don’t make a deep playoff run this season?
Jones discussed this after the team’s win against Washington and left the media with a cliffhanger.
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“I think what he’s done is the fact that we’ve put ourselves in this position over the last three years. I think that does speak for itself, and we’ve got a lot of football left and no small part thanks to Mike, thanks to his staff, and thanks to some really outstanding football players… So we’ll see how each game goes,” said Jones on Sunday.
When asked about this response on Tuesday, he said he doesn’t know how he can be more clear that McCarthy is already under contract for next season.
“I couldn’t be more pleased with what he’s done and how he’s coached,” said Jones. “The last thing that I want to do is spend any time talking with him about these kinds of things on agreements, extension of agreements, especially when I got one.”
He also said sitting down with McCarthy right now, as the team is preparing for the playoffs, isn’t realistic. He continued that the head coach is the “busiest cat in all of Texas” right now.
Jones even said that McCarthy is the big difference this year for the team’s success. So, although the team’s coaching staff could look different next season, McCarthy will still have his job locked down because of the success he has had this season as the team’s head coach.
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