As soon as the Eagles beat the Giants and eliminated Dallas from playoff contention, it was widely assumed that Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett would be among the first coaches to be fired.
Well, four days later, not only has Garrett not been fired, some in the organization are reportedly beginning to wonder whether he’ll be fired at all.
ESPN’s Ed Werder, who spends much of his time covering the Cowboys, posted a tweet on Thursday morning saying that several Cowboys staff members are wondering whether Garrett will return as head coach, or stay with the organization in “another capacity.”
The idea that Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones would opt to keep Garrett in the organization in some capacity, even if not as head coach, rings true given Garrett’s close personal relationship with the Jones family. If so, the question may come down to whether Garrett wants to continue coaching. Should that be the case, he would obviously have to leave Dallas if Jones is intent on finding a new head coach.
If Garrett returns as head coach, however, it would likely be with a vastly different structure. The Cowboys fired several assistants and coordinators in the days following the end of the season. Fan unrest and calls for Garrett’s job also increased as the Cowboys lost four of their last six games down the stretch.
But, whatever the Cowboys intend to do, they better hurry. The Redskins have already hired the presumed top coaching candidate in Ron Rivera, and the Giants have been connected to other high-profile candidates such as Baylor’s Matt Rhule and former Packers coach Mike McCarthy. The Browns are also reported to have interest in former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer and other high-profile NFL assistants such as Greg Roman.
The Cowboys have been mentioned as having strong interest in Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley. Though, it’s not clear whether that interest is mutual. It’s also not clear what the level of interest in Riley is at this time given OU’s three straight playoff losses, including an embarrassing dismantling at the hands of LSU last week.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn