The Dallas Cowboys and Mike McCarthy parted ways on Monday after the head coach’s contract expired. Now Jerry Jones is off to the races to find the team’s next signal caller.
NFL Network’s Jane Slater provided insight into the Cowboys’ coaching search in its early stages, saying Jones is leading a “single mission.” Slater mentioned a number of rumored top prospects, many of whom have yet to make contact with the Cowboys’ owner.
“It looks like Jerry is on a bit of a solo mission,” Slater said. “He’s been picking up the phone and making calls. My understanding is he hasn’t called Kellen Moore yet, he hasn’t called Kliff Kingsbury yet, he hasn’t called (Steve) Sarkisian at the University of Texas. I haven’t called yet.”
There’s a lot to unpack here. After being on the phone non-stop, here’s what I’ve gathered from Deion to Witt to Kellen. Jerry is currently on a solo mission. No official interviews or even phone calls were made to some of them. Here is what I have collected for you. #CowboysHCSearch pic.twitter.com/9OzVVwy7Cz
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) January 15, 2025
She said both Sarkisian and highly rumored Colorado coach Deion Sanders will likely pay a large buyout to get Jones out of his current contract.
Another candidate mentioned is former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden, who Slater said he still doesn’t understand.
Moore served as the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator from 2019 to 2022 and currently holds the same position with the Philadelphia Eagles. Kingsbury coached the Arizona Cardinals from 2019-22 and spent one year at USC before joining the Washington Commanders as offensive coordinator this season.
Sarkisian led the neighborhood Longhorns to the College Football Playoff semifinals, where they lost to Ohio State on Friday. Texas finished third in the final CFP rankings, with Sarkisian making a name for himself behind the Jones Cowboys.
Jones is busy searching for Dallas’ next head coach, just one day after McCarthy’s departure. Time will tell whether he will name some high-profile names for the job.
