Will McClay has been with the Cowboys for over 20 years, coming up through the scouting ranks en route to holding a prominent position in the NFC East franchise’s front office. The veteran exec has been selective about GM interviews, but extensive interest has also eluded him in recent years. That looks to be changing.
In addition to the Chargers’ request to interview the Cowboys’ player personnel VP, the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins notes the Commanders have sent in an interview summons. The Panthers also have McClay on their GM radar, per SI.com’s Albert Breer, though no request has come in yet. That could be telling, considering how many requests Carolina already has out.
Based on McClay’s offseason history and his role in Dallas, it will be difficult to pry him from the Jerry– and Stephen Jones-led front office. McClay has not interviewed for a GM job in the 2020s, and he turned down requests from the Texans and Lions — and potentially other clubs — during the late 2010s. NFL teams have been aware of McClay’s impact for a while, but it looks like it will take a special offer to disrupt his current situation.
The Cowboys promoted McClay, 57, to current post in 2017. He has made an integral impact in Dallas, which has enjoyed great success with first-round picks over the past decade and change. Micah Parsons and CeeDee Lamb represent the latest such investments to hit big, but the Cowboys are still benefiting from the Tyron Smith (2011) and Zack Martin (2014) selections. Although the Joneses have final say, with Jerry Jones operating as the team’s nominal GM for decades, McClay holds considerable responsibility with the organization.
“I realize what my role and my structure is, what we do here,” McClay said in 2022. “I feel good about what we are doing. That is the job I am happy with now. If an opportunity comes up that makes sense, sure I will look at it. But I am happy where I am now. I am happy with the job, the role and how we do things.”
It will be interesting to see if McClay takes the Los Angeles or Washington meetings. The Commanders have kept GM Martin Mayhew on, along with executive VP Marty Hurney. The team is believed to be looking for a director of football operations-type hire. We heard recently the Commanders’ new ownership was interested in a football ops boss to oversee a GM, making it possible Mayhew and/or Hurney could stay on despite Ron Rivera‘s firing. The interviews for this new position are taking place at Josh Harris‘ home, per the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala.
Carolina’s situation, with David Tepper‘s reputation taking a slew of hits, would seem unlikely to be the one that pulls McClay out of Dallas. The Panthers also have already reached out to a number of candidates to replace Scott Fitterer.