Week 18 will come and go. So will “Black Monday.” Changes are inevitable in the NFL coaching world.
Are they inevitable in the Dallas Cowboys coaching world?
Minute-by-minute, story-by-story, we will report on what’s going on here inside The Star in Frisco regarding team owner Jerry Jones’ next big decision, which of course for now is focused on incumbent coach Mike McCarthy.
We begin there and go to New York with our Cowboys Coaching Carousel Tracker …
JAN 20 BYE, BONES The Titans are hiring John “Bones” Fassel as their special-teams coordinator, per NFL.com.
The hire by Titans coach Brian Callahan ends a colorful stint for Fassel, who is out of contract in Dallas along with head coach McCarthy.
Ben Johnson is meanwhile taking over the Bears. And what’s up with Schotty? See below …
JAN 19 CONTROVERSIAL COACHES The Cowboys seemingly have a set of controversial plans for top Mike McCarthy assistants Al Harris and Brian Schottenheimer. …
And those plans might surprise you.
Per 105.3 The Fan’s Shan Shariff, Harris (the assistant head coach with a focus on the secondary) is likely to not be on the future Dallas staff … but Schottenheimer (the offensive coordinator) might be seen as a keeper – in a big way.
Interestingly, both are “McCarthy guys” in a sense, so we also need to see if McCarthy lands a job with the Saints or the Bears.
JAN 17 HOW LONG? Do you want Dallas to do this fast? Or to do it right?
Is both possible?
According to The Dallas Morning News, “the Cowboys will take this into probably mid-February before they make a final decision.”
The bad news here? That could mean Dallas is simply dragging its feet because that’s what Dallas sometimes does.
The good news? The Super Bowl is February 9, so it could mean that Dallas wants to wait it out on candidates who might be coaching in the big game.
Lions aides Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, maybe?
JAN 15 2 VISITS COMING As we have reported, the Cowboys have an interview set up with former Jets coach Robert Saleh.
And now, via ESPN, we have another name.
Also on the wish list? Dallas has officially requested to visit with Seattle assistant head coach Leslie Frazier.
Frazier was a head coach in Minnesota with an impressive track record as a defensive coordinator, as is the case with Saleh.
Worth noting that these two visits (unlike the Deion Sanders phone call) would be “official” and would therefore satisfy the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview two outside diversity candidates for such openings.
JAN 15 LINCOLN CONNECTION We have written a great deal over the years about the Jones family’s connection with Lincoln Riley, stemming from the days when he was at Oklahoma and recruiting the son of Cowboys COO Stephen Jones.
And here we are again.
We’ve made the points on everybody from Kellen Moore to Deion Sanders to Jon Gruden. And on Riley, too.
Riley’s Trojans went 7-6 in 2024, but that’s not a Jones problem here.
There is a buyout to free him from his 10-year, $100 million deal with USC. And there is this: Urban Meyer, speaking on FS1, has insisted – in the face of many who don’t think Dallas is a “coveted” job – that Riley would simply have to accept the job if offered.
“I’ve got to do that,” Urban said a few years ago of accepting the spot at The Star.
JAN 14 WHITT UP? The Jets have requested an interview with Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. for their head coaching job, per reports.
It’s the first-ever interview for Whitt, 46, who moved with Dan Quinn from Dallas to Washington this year.
JAN 13 BUMMED Dak Prescott is about to play for his third head coach next season as Mike McCarthy have agreed to “part ways.”
Prescott called McCarthy “a great coach and a hell of a man.”
“Bummed, because we built some things,” Prescott said in a text to ALL DLLS. “But I guess they couldn’t reach an agreement. SMH.”
JAN 12 VRABEL MOVE Mike Vrabel always seemed like a best-case scenario for many fans of the Cowboys as they began their coach-hiring search.
Now it’s no longer happening.
As reported by a number of outlets, the Super Bowl-winning linebacker and one of the top coaching candidates on the opening cycle is in the process of agreeing to terms to become the new top coach of the New England Patriots.
Vrabel won three Super Bowls with the Patriots during his time as a Pro Bowl linebacker.
It’s his work as a head coach, though, that made him a top candidate. As the head man of the Tennessee Titans, Vrabel went 54-45 and helped the team reach the playoffs in three of the six years with the team.
He helped them reach the AFC Championship game in 2019 after knocking off Tom Brady and the Patriots, as well as Lamar Jackson and the Ravens in his first MVP season.
Vrabel was seen as one of the top candidates for the Cowboys … assuming Mike McCarthy was allowed to move on. At this point as of Sunday morning, McCarthy isn’t moving on, though, as the Joneses continue to work on a way to forge an extension.
JAN 7 VRABEL FACTOR While Mike McCarthy waits to hear if he has permission to visit with the Bears, Chicago has set up a meeting with Mike Vrabel, seen by many as the Carousel’s top candidate.
Vrabel is already in play with the Jets, the Patriots and the Saints – the latter destination being where McCarthy agent Don Yee is trying to stir up interest.
JAN 6 MIKE VS. KELLEN Two years ago, Mike McCarthy nudged Kellen Moore out of the coordinator’s job in Dallas. Now Kellen is excelling with the Philadelphia Eagles. And McCarthy is in limbo in Dallas.
And they might end up competing for job openings elsewhere.
The New Orleans Saints have requested to interview Eagles offensive coordinator and play-caller Moore for their head coaching job.
And the Chicago Bears have done the same with McCarthy.
The system requires requests for interviews as both coaches are under contract.
See more on McCarthy vs. Jerry Jones and the Bears situation above.
