Mike McCarthy To Meet With Cowboys
While the Cowboys haven’t said anything official about the status of head coach Jason Garrett, it sounds like the organization is preparing to meet with candidates. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy is traveling to Dallas to meet with the Cowboys. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that the interview will take place today.
Rapoport adds that the organization is “laying the groundwork” for an inevitable head coaching search, with a particular focus on former NFL head coaches. To that end, Rapoport hints that Marvin Lewis could also be a candidate for the gig, with the former Bengals head coach receiving interest from some within the organization.
As our head coaching tracker shows, McCarthy has been one of the more popular names on the interview circuit, as he’s already interviewed for the Panthers, Browns, and Giants vacancies. McCarthy was out of the NFL for the entire 2019 campaign, but he spent the season studying film and designing plays in preparation for his next opportunity.
Now, the former Super Bowl winner becomes the first known candidate to (presumably) replace Garrett in Dallas. The former Packers head coach did have a pair of Hall of Famers (Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers) for nearly the entirety of his Green Bay stint, but he’d be inheriting an offense that has plenty of weapons of their own. His play-calling was also called into question towards the latter stages of his tenure, but it sounds like he was focused on improving that aspect of his coaching throughout the past year.
We heard yesterday that Garrett and the Cowboys were likely heading towards a divorce. The Cowboys were scheduled to meet with Garrett on Thursday, but that meeting was scrapped. Before the 86’d sit-down, the Cowboys were rumored to be considering a middle-ground scenario in which Garrett would remain with the organization in a different role. At this moment, a clean break seems more likely.
Earlier today, Rapoport reported (via Twitter) that the Cowboys aren’t expected to make any definitive announcement about Garrett until at least Monday. Meanwhile, ESPN’s Ed Werder tweets that the Cowboys head coach has been campaigning to keep his gig. Garrett’s contract is set to expire on January 14th.
Latest On Cowboys, Jason Garrett
There’s no official word on Jason Garrett‘s status, but it sounds like the Cowboys will be moving on from their longtime head coach. The saga is “expected to conclude soon” with Garrett’s dismissal, ESPN.com’s Ed Werder (on Twitter) hears. After that, the Cowboys will move on quickly and begin interviewing candidates for the job. 
[RELATED: 2020 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker]
Werder’s report stops just short of saying that a final determination has been made, but it sure sounds like the two sides are headed for divorce. The Cowboys, reportedly, were only planning to retain Garrett if the Cowboys made a deep playoff run. Unfortunately for the Princeton grad, the Cowboys finished 8-8, missed the playoffs, and ceded the division to the rival Eagles.
The Cowboys were scheduled to meet with Garrett at The Star on Thursday, but that meeting was scrapped. Before the 86’d sit-down, the Cowboys were rumored to be considering a middle-ground scenario in which Garrett would remain with the organization in a different role. At this moment, a clean break seems more likely.
If this is the end of the line for Garrett, he’ll leave the Cowboys as their second-winningest coach of all time and an overall record of 85-67. Only Tom Landry won more games for the franchise, but Garrett has just career two playoff wins to his credit. Under Garrett’s guidance, the Cowboys have never advanced beyond the divisional round.
Cowboys Expected To Part Ways With Jason Garrett
Another Jason Garrett role with the Cowboys does not look to be the plan. While the Cowboys have still not fired their head coach, that is expected to commence soon, Ed Werder of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
Earlier Thursday, Werder reported some in the organization wondered if this lengthy delay stemmed from Garrett being set to take another role with the franchise. But coaching interviews are expected soon, which should (in theory) come after the Cowboys announce they’ve fired the incumbent.
Garrett was slated to meet with Jerry and Stephen Jones on Thursday, but Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News adds that did not happen (Twitter link). Final clarity remains elusive, and the Cowboys remain days behind the other coach-needy teams. Some with the Cowboys have not seen a defined process or timeline take shape on this front, per Yahoo.com’s Charles Robinson.
The team has interest in outside candidates, including Ravens OC Greg Roman. But the Cowboys have not moved on this, with Garrett still employed. While it appears the Cowboys are heading in the direction of firing Garrett, after weeks of rumors, this process is dragging due to the “abundance of care and respect” team brass has for its 10-year head coach, Werder adds.
Cowboys Considering New Role For Jason Garrett?
Could Jason Garrett return to the Cowboys in a different role? That’s what some members of the organization are wondering as Garrett gets set to meet with team brass (once again) on Thursday, Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets. 
Garrett will chat with Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones on Thursday, his third face-to-face with the duo since the end of the season. Many have speculated that Garrett could be dismissed after failing to get the Cowboys into the playoffs. Now, it sounds like Garrett could be offered some sort of an alternative to being fired outright.
Garrett has been with the Cowboys for ten years, but this contract – which expires on January 14th – may be his last. Throughout the year, the buzz was that Garrett needed to get the Cowboys to the NFC championship game to keep his job. The team’s .500 finish, of course, came up short.
If Garrett is ousted – or moved to some other position – the job figures to hold appeal for just about every head coaching candidate out there. Baylor’s Matt Rhule, who has been selective in the past, might have the Cowboys on his NFL short-list. Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman and former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer may also be on the radar.
Latest On Cowboys, Jason Garrett
Having bypassed Black Monday, and now Tuesday and most of Wednesday, the Cowboys have yet to fire Jason Garrett. The Cowboys are a bit behind on the coaching carousel as a result, but that does not appear to be a concern for the organization at this point.
However, this process may finally be headed toward a resolution. Garrett will meet with Jerry and Stephen Jones on Thursday, according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. This will be the sides’ third meeting since the team’s season concluded.
Although the optics of this situation paint the Cowboys as being less certain on their decision than the Giants or Browns were on theirs, Moore adds that there are no expectations Garrett will be brought back for an 11th season. His contract expires Jan. 14 and is not expected to be renewed.
Garrett was believed to have needed to pilot the Cowboys to the NFC championship game to keep his job. With Dallas missing the playoffs after their spree of offseason extensions, there does not appear to be a way the longtime HC will keep his job. But the methodical pace here is certainly unusual in an era when firings on Week 17 Sunday occur annually.
HC/GM Rumors: Gase, Lynn, Panthers, Shurmur
Black Monday is tomorrow, so let’s take a look at the latest coaching and GM rumors from around the league:
- This doesn’t come as much of a surprise, given that neither man was really believed to be on the hot seat, but Jets HC Adam Gase and Chargers HC Anthony Lynn will both be back in 2020, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (h/t NFL Update on Twitter).
- We learned yesterday that the Panthers would seek to interview Baylor head coach Matt Rhule, which David Newton of ESPN.com confirmed today. Matt Miller of Bleacher Report believes Rhule would leave Baylor if the right opportunity presented itself, despite signing a lengthy extension with the school back in September (Twitter link).
- Despite speculation that the Panthers could look to move on from GM Marty Hurney, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic says owner Dave Tepper remains intent on keeping Hurney, and Hurney wants to stay (Twitter link). Tepper does want to bring in an assistant GM, and Joe Person of The Athletic offers a list of potential candidates. The problem, as NFL insider Adam Caplan observes, is that Carolina could be blocked from interviewing candidates under contract with other teams unless the Panthers’ gig comes with decision-making responsibilities (Twitter link).
- We heard earlier today that the Browns are doing their due diligence on HC candidates, which isn’t a good sign for Freddie Kitchens. As Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets, the team wanted to see modest progress from Kitchens this year, which is why a loss to the Bengals on Sunday afternoon could seal his fate. But for all his faults, Kitchens remains well-liked in the building, so he’s not a goner just yet. We also heard today that Browns GM John Dorsey may be on the hot seat.
- Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reiterates yesterday’s report that Ron Rivera is high on the Redskins‘ wish list, and that Rivera could have a new job as soon as tomorrow (video link). However, other clubs also want a crack at Rivera. One of those clubs, the Cowboys, will almost certainly move on from Jason Garrett if they are eliminated from playoff contention today, and Rapoport names Rhule, Lincoln Riley, and Rivera as names to watch for Dallas’ expected vacancy.
- In the same report, RapSheet says Giants ownership is split on head coach Pat Shurmur, with Steve Tisch wanting to move on and John Mara not quite convinced. A win over the Eagles today could save Shurmur’s job.
- Dan Graziano of ESPN.com confirms (via Twitter) that former Texans GM Rick Smith is definitely a name to watch if the Redskins move on from Bruce Allen, which they are expected to do. Graziano says it’s still unclear as to whether Smith wants to return to a front office, contrary to a report from last month, but if he is, Redskins owner Dan Snyder will be interested. Mark Maske of the Washington Post hears that Smith, who lost his wife to cancer 11 months ago, is not quite ready to return to football (Twitter link).
Latest On Jason Garrett, Cowboys
If Jason Garrett wants to keep his job, he’ll have to lead the Cowboys to the NFC Championship Game. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Dallas will have to make the conference championship to prevent his firing.
Specifically, Jerry Jones wants the Cowboys to win the division and then make it further in the playoffs than they did last year. That means Dallas has to continue winning, especially against the Eagles tomorrow. That also means Dallas has to get past the divisional round, as the Cowboys lost to the Rams in that round during last year’s playoffs.
There were rumblings earlier this year that Garrett could be on the hot seat, but the organization made it clear that they wouldn’t make a coaching change this season. The Cowboys currently sit at an underwhelming 7-7, but that’s good enough for them to sit tied for first (with Philly) for the top spot in the NFC East. Garrett took over the head coach position midway through the 2010 season, and he’s led Dallas to an 84-66 record. The Cowboys only have three playoff appearances during the coach’s stint.
We heard earlier this month that the Cowboys would have interest in Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley if they elect to move on from Garrett. Owner Jerry Jones and his family already have a relationship with Riley stemming from Riley’s recruitment of Jones’ grandson, John Stephen Jones, who ultimately elected to play his collegiate ball at Arkansas.
NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Garrett, Redskins
The Cowboys aren’t planning to fire head coach Jason Garrett during the season, but some reports have indicated needs to lead Dallas to a Super Bowl victory in order to keep his job. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has offered his fair share of criticism of Garrett this year, and earlier this week, he made a peculiar comment sure to draw the eye of observers. “In my opinion, Jason Garrett will be coaching in the NFL next year,” Jones said this week on 105.3 The Fan (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News). Notably, Jones didn’t say exactly where he thinks Garrett will coaching in 2020.
Here’s more from the NFC East:
- Don’t expect Trent Williams to mend fences with the Redskins any time soon. Williams, who didn’t play this season while holding out, holds a great deal of animus against the Washington organization for how it handled a cancerous tumor that appeared on his head. “I don’t see how it can be reconciled,” Williams told Les Carpenter of the Washington Post. “At the end of the day I’m a human being, I ain’t like a dog and you can slap s— out of me and I’m going to come back the next morning with my tail wagging. This was a conscious decision, they didn’t burn the bridge by accident. This was something they felt comfortable doing, so I got to feel comfortable with moving on, too.”
- Most of Williams’ ire is directed towards Redskins president Bruce Allen, per Carpenter. Williams claims Allen ignored calls and texts from Williams and his agent while the club was searching for a helmet that would accommodate Williams’ pain. Williams believes Allen did so that the Redskins can argue Williams still has two years left on his contract, which could raise his trade value this offseason. Allen, for his part, calls the allegations “comical.”
- Group Giants owner Steve Tisch with those who think Colin Kaepernick‘s workout session in Atlanta last month was botched by the NFL. “I just felt, you know, what happened in Atlanta was unfortunate,” Tisch told Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic. “It didn’t seem to be very well organized. And I just, I don’t know how it all sort of fell apart.” Tisch also said he hopes the issue is brought up during next week’s league meetings.
Latest On Cowboys’ Pending FAs, Jason Garrett
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the Cowboys have made no progress on extensions for pending free agents Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, or Byron Jones, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes. La Canfora had a similar report towards the end of October, and nothing has changed since then.
Dallas, obviously, is not going to let Prescott get away, and even if the two sides cannot work out a long-term pact prior to the deadline for using the franchise tag, the Cowboys would tag their signal-caller to buy themselves some more time. That would mean that the Cowboys could not tag Cooper, and La Canfora’s sources say the odds of the team retaining Cooper without the tag are slim. Plus, given that we are now close to the end of the season, Cooper is not inclined to forego his shot at the open market by restarting extension negotiations.
La Canfora adds that there has been no communication between the Cowboys and Jones, and no talks are expected before the end of the season. With Jones, like Cooper, poised for a big payday, it seems increasingly likely that the team will lose both players.
With respect to Jason Garrett, we have already heard that the Cowboys will not be firing their head coach before the end of the season, but we also heard that Garrett may need to capture the Lombardi Trophy in order to remain in Dallas beyond 2019, and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network confirms earlier rumors that the Cowboys will have interest in Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley if they elect to move on from Garrett (video link). Owner Jerry Jones and his family already have a relationship with Riley stemming from Riley’s recruitment of Jones’ grandson, John Stephen Jones, who ultimately elected to play his collegiate ball at Arkansas.
Riley has been a hot name in NFL coaching rumors in the past, and if he elects to jump to the professional ranks, Rapoport suggests the Cowboys could be appealing to him.
Cowboys Notes: Beasley, Garrett, Maher
Former Cowboys receiver Cole Beasley had a bumpy tenure with the team. Beasley was a fan favorite in Dallas from 2012-2018, but became frustrated with the team when his role did not expand to the degree he thought it should. After signing with the Bills this offseason, Beasley got to exert his revenge in Buffalo’s 26-15 victory in Dallas on Thursday.
In the postgame celebration of Buffalo’s Thanksgiving day victory, Beasley told reporters that he felt “disrespected” in Dallas and felt that they disrespected him again in his return, according to Angel Franco of The Dallas Morning News. Beasley caught six passes for 110 receiving yards and a touchdown against his former team.
Here’s some more Cowboys notes:
- Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones ripped his coaching staff after last week’s loss to the Patriots. After an even more disappointing loss to Buffalo on Thursday, all eyes were on the maverick owner to see if he would once again criticize his coaching staff. While Jones was not full of praise, he tried to calm the flames around the team by saying he will not make any coaching moves during the season, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. This does not remove the pressure on head coach Jason Garrett to make a deep playoff run, but should make it easier to focus on the upcoming schedule.
- Cowboys placekicker Brett Maher is in the midst of a massive sophomore slump. After an impressive rookie season that included 6 makes on 7 attempts from at least 50 yards, the Nebraska product has made just 67.9% of his field goal attempts in 2019. While special teams has been a huge problem for the Cowboys, they will not be making a change at kicker, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic. Maher has yet to miss an extra point on the season and remains 14 of 16 inside 40 yards, but will surely hope to improve his accuracy from deeper range during the rest of the season.