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Having already waited an extra week after the end of the 2024 season to decide Mike McCarthy wasn’t going to return as head coach, the Dallas Cowboys aren’t operating with any sense of urgency to interview replacement candidates.
Appearing on the Saturday morning edition of SportsCenter (starts at 1:40 mark), ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported the Cowboys don’t have “formal” requests out to speak with candidates currently employed by teams beyond the people they have already interviewed.
Jeremy Fowler @JFowlerESPN
Zay Flowers update, Joe Mixon, Gibbs/Montgomery dynamic, #Cowboys search
Latest on @SportsCenter with @RandyScottESPN pic.twitter.com/8ruE4AkZBw
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport confirmed the Cowboys haven’t scheduled talks with Sanders and added he’d “be surprised if an interview ever happens.”
Ian Rapoport @RapSheet
From @NFLGameDay: A look at where the #Cowboys HC search stands… including that there is not yet an interview with #Colorado coach Deion Sanders on the horizon. pic.twitter.com/TeUhT00qI3
Cowboys fans have their sights set on Deion Sanders after speaking with Jerry Jones earlier this week. Coach Prime confirmed to ESPN’s Adam Schefter his conversation with Jones.
Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter
“To hear from Jerry Jones is truly delightful, and it’s intriguing,” Deion Sanders told ESPN on Monday night. “I love Jerry and believe in Jerry. After you hang up, and process it, and think about it, it’s intriguing. But I love Boulder and everything there is about our team,… pic.twitter.com/OMossS9iOx
Despite that brief encounter between Sanders and Jones, there are some key hurdles standing in the way of a potential deal if that’s the direction the Cowboys want to go. Chief among them being Sanders having a $10 million buyout in his contract with Colorado that Schefter has said is not “insignificant” for Dallas.
Pat McAfee @PatMcAfeeShow
“Kellen Moore is somebody that knows the Cowboys organization and everything tells you that he’s in play for this job..
Jerry Jones could take a big swing and go get Deion Sanders..
The Cowboys are in no rush to make a decision”@AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/1l0IG65bih
Another potential hurdle, per NFL Network’s Jane Slater, is that Jones is “not really high” on paying big money for a full coaching staff and asked McCarthy to reduce the number of assistants (starts at :55 mark).
Jane Slater @SlaterNFL
A lot to unpack here. Been on the phone non stop here is what I’ve gathered from Deion to Witt to Kellen. Jerry is currently on a solo mission. No official interviews or calls even placed to some. Here is what I have gathered for you. #CowboysHCSearch pic.twitter.com/9OzVVwy7Cz
There has also been speculation that Jones wants to bring in assistants to the staff for his new head coach. NFL insider Ed Werder reported there is a “high probability” that former Cowboys tight end Jason Witten will be included on the new coaching staff.
Ed Werder @WerderEdNFL
I believe there is a very high probability that, depending upon whom is hired as head coach, that Jason Witten will be included in the staff.
There were scenarios discussed with Mike McCarthy when he was hired where that could have happened but McCarthy was understandably…
Werder noted the Cowboys discussed bringing in Witten on McCarthy’s staff, but McCarthy pushed back against it. Witten has been coaching in the high-school ranks since 2021 at Liberty Christian School in Texas, leading the program to back-to-back state titles in 2023 and 2024.
The three candidates the Cowboys either have interviewed or are scheduled to interview thus far include Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh—who interviewed on Saturday—and Seattle Seahawks assistant head coach Leslie Frazier.
Given that Jones has shown a propensity for hiring former Cowboys players to be coaches—Jason Garrett had a 10-season run as head coach including his eight-game interim stint in 2010—the name that stands out among that initial trio of candidates is Moore.
Moore spent his last three seasons as a player with the Cowboys from 2015 to ’17, then retired to become their quarterbacks coach in 2018. He spent four seasons as their offensive coordinator from 2019 to ’22.
The Cowboys parted ways with McCarthy on Monday after the two sides were unable to agree to terms on a new contract. They finished 7-10 and missed the playoffs this season for the first time since 2020.
