During a radio spot last week, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones stopped well short of endorsing coach Mike McCarthy, amid a wave of firings in the NFL. But on a Friday appearance on 105.3 The Fan, he said that he was posturing as he sought to keep defensive coordinator Dan Quinn in place, and McCarthy was never “twisting in the wind.”
On Thursday, it was confirmed that Quinn will remain with Dallas in 2022, after helping revamp the defense that struggled mightily a year before his arrival. He was a candidate for multiple head coaching jobs around the league.
“What I wanted to clear up was that this was a competitive situation, in my view. Dan Quinn was really being pursued as a potential head coach,” Jones said. “I’ve experienced seeing coaches turn down a head job for our situation, and so I really was trying hard, meeting with Dan Quinn.
“Mike was very involved in this process, and very involved in trying to give us every chance to keep Dan Quinn. And there’s no question it was a competitive situation and I couldn’t really get out and speak to it publicly because I didn't want to push teams towards him. And I wanted to keep him for ourselves.”
Jones wouldn’t reveal which teams offered Quinn the head coaching job, and says that he expects him to be with the franchise “for years to come.”
“Mike and I worked together, joint effort,” Jones continued. “That’s what it’s going to take this year. We did some things that I’m really proud of with our coaching staff, we did some things I'm proud of with our team. We didn’t do a lot of things that we need to do to not be sitting here out of the playoffs next year, and we're all committed to do it.
“The thing I want to clear up, the idea of Mike being twisting in the wind wasn't the case at all. We were trying to keep Dan Quinn and trying to maintain continuity on our coaching staff.”
Jones said that McCarthy is aware of his relationship with Sean Payton, who has been heavily connected to the Cowboys since leaving the organization to take the Saints job. Payton stepped down on Thursday, after leaving Dallas for New Orleans in 2006, leading to a new wave of speculation that he is in the Cowboys’ sights for the future.
Jones said he did not have to reassure McCarthy of his status after Payton's resignation from New Orleans this week, he said, and the Cowboys owner says he has not spoken to Payton about the news.
The Cowboys’ attention turns to offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who has interviewed for head coaching opportunities, including the one in Miami. Jones is confident that he'll return for ‘22 as well.
“I get a sense they will not reach out, and I believe he'll be back next year,” Jones said. He declined to comment further on another “competitive situation” with Moore.
The Cowboys went 12–5 in 2021, their second year under McCarthy. The team won the NFC East and clinched the No. 3 seed in the conference, but they fell at home on wild-card weekend in a dramatic game against the 49ers, 23–17.
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