Cowboys pass over Deion Sanders and others, hire Brian Schottenheimer as next coach

The Dallas Cowboys are going with an in-house choice for his or her subsequent head coach.

Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and the Cowboys have agreed to a deal to make him Dallas’ subsequent head coach, the group introduced on Friday.

Schottenheimer, 51, has been on the Cowboys’ teaching employees for the final three seasons, serving as their offensive coordinator since 2023. Nevertheless, former Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy dealt with the offensive playcalling duties during the last two years.

Nonetheless, Schottenheimer’s promotion aligned with quarterback Dak Prescott’s greatest season. The Cowboys quarterback completed second in MVP voting in 2023, main the league in passing touchdowns that yr en path to the group’s third straight 12-5 season.

Now, Schottenheimer might be tasked with serving to Prescott return to that degree together with enhancing the remainder of the Cowboys’ roster following a disappointing 7-10 season in 2024. Prescott, who’ll be 32 when the 2025 season begins, missed the again half of 2024 after present process hamstring surgical procedure, which got here following his early-season struggles. 

Prescott’s damage, together with a handful of others, performed an enormous half in why Dallas began the yr 3-7, basically ending its playoff hopes earlier than Thanksgiving. The Cowboys opted to maintain McCarthy round by the tip of the season, however introduced that they had been unable to come back to phrases on a brand new deal on Jan. 13, a day earlier than his contract was set to run out.

The Cowboys’ determination to half with McCarthy made them the seventh group this offseason to have a head coach emptiness, however it came to visit every week after the tip of the common season. In consequence, Dallas missed out on the chance to talk with just a few of the highest teaching candidates early on, similar to Mike Vrabel, Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn. 

Dallas did not conduct many interviews, although, in its search to interchange McCarthy. Former Jets head coach Robert Saleh, Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore (who beforehand performed and coached for the Cowboys) and Seahawks assistant head coach Leslie Frazier had been the one different three candidates to interview for the opening. 

There have been additionally some rumors that Colorado coach and former Cowboys star Deion Sanders was a prime candidate for the opening. Regardless of experiences of mutual curiosity, Sanders by no means formally interviewed for the job. Jones additionally informally spoke to former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.

Schottenheimer has by no means been a head coach earlier than, however he brings almost three many years of expertise as an offensive assistant coach to the desk. He served as an offensive coordinator for just a few different groups earlier than becoming a member of the Cowboys in 2022, working in that position for the Jets (2006-11), Rams (2012-14) and Seahawks (2018-20).

Schottenheimer can also be the son of embellished former NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer. The elder Schottenheimer was a head coach for 4 groups, recording the ninth-most wins (205) for a coach in NFL historical past. 

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