DALLAS — Jerry Jones wants to make it clear that Mike McCarthy’s job was never in question, that his public reluctance to declare the head coach would return was a strategic decision as he and McCarthy worked in concert behind the scenes to ensure Dan Quinn’s return as defensive coordinator.
And those who insist on drawing a direct line from Sean Payton’s retirement in New Orleans to Dallas? Well, the owner of the Cowboys has something to say about that as well.
Jones spoke to The Dallas Morning News on Friday morning to provide a glimpse into his thinking and approach in the 12 days since the team’s loss to San Francisco. While Jones again expressed his disappointment over the wild-card exit, he stressed moving on from McCarthy was never under consideration.
Not responding to direct questions about McCarthy’s status was calculated. Jones said the conclusion some drew that he was leaving his head coach to twist in the wind was wrong.
“That is totally incorrect,” Jones said. “Totally incorrect. We were working very closely together to get Dan to stay here and keep the continuity of our staff. ... Whether we were right or wrong, we made the decision to keep it quiet. Mike’s status was never in question.
“Ever.”
Quinn was a hot commodity on the head coaching market. He interviewed for five openings — Denver, Chicago, Minnesota, Miami and the New York Giants — and turned down the opportunity to interview for a sixth in Jacksonville.
Jones feared losing Quinn. His concern was if other clubs realized the lengths the Cowboys were willing to go to retain him — Jones added a multi-year extension to Quinn’s contract, which had been scheduled to run through 2023 — that it would encourage them to be even more aggressive in their pursuit.
Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is also in the mix. Jones and McCarthy want him back. Jones made the determination that declaring his intention to bring McCarthy and his coordinators back was not in the organization’s best interest and could potentially influence which coordinators teams would target.
Jones felt the ambiguity he portrayed would allow the club to buy some time while they worked feverishly behind the scenes to keep these three together.
“My goal was to keep the continuity of this group together,” Jones said. “We were very much in a competitive environment. We felt Dan especially did have the opportunity to be a head coach.
“I met two times face to face with Dan, and Mike was coordinating and talking to him. We were very careful (publicly) not to do something to influence the balance of something that was relative to another team’s interest in Dan. ... If we looked too aggressive, it could have upped the interest by other team’s in talking to Dan. We had to stay low. And we’re still in a competitive situation with Kellen.”
Moore is scheduled to have a second interview with Miami for its head coaching vacancy early next week.
Jones suggested that Quinn would have become a head coach in this cycle if the Cowboys didn’t proceed as aggressively as they did. He considers it a coup that Quinn will return.
“When Dan has a look at the menu the way he did, it’s a compliment to Mike, to Dallas and to our organization that he decided to stay,” Jones said. “To me it’s inspirational and shows people want to be here.”
Jones puts this move in the same class as former Cowboys coordinators Payton and Jason Garrett, who turned down head coaching opportunities at one point to stay in Dallas.
Speaking of Payton and the perception that he’s a Cowboys head coach in waiting since stepping down from the Saints earlier this week …
“I understand the speculation,” Jones said. “Sean is an outstanding coach. I haven’t talked to him and am not in any way a part of his departure in New Orleans. ... He’s been a long-time friend and a long-time associate in the NFL. I’ve always had a fondness for Sean. That’s no secret.
“But he doesn’t have any place in anything I’m doing regarding our staff.”
Jones considers this group, especially if Moore stays, to be one of the best overall staffs he’s had with the Cowboys. While Jones intimates there will be changes below the coordinator level, he believes it’s crucial to keep Quinn and Moore together with McCarthy.
“That’s been our goal all along,” Jones said. “We felt we had some really outstanding things we got accomplished this past year. We all recognize there is a lot to address over our disappointment with the playoff run. ... But when we were looking at the whole staff, looking at the best way to proceed, we want to keep our continuity and build on that. It’s a positive.
“We understand where we came up short. No one is more disappointed than Mike, and no one will work any harder to get this staff in a spot for us to move deeper in the playoffs, hopefully to a Super Bowl.”
