Jason Garrett - Pro Football Rumors

Cowboys Expected To Part Ways With Jason Garrett

January 2nd, 2020 at 8:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

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?

January 2nd, 2020 at 12:03pm CST by Zachary Links

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

January 1st, 2020 at 8:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

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

December 29th, 2019 at 11:37am CST by Rory Parks

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

December 21st, 2019 at 11:57am CST by Ben Levine

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

December 5th, 2019 at 8:01pm CST by Dallas Robinson

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

December 1st, 2019 at 9:29am CST by Rory Parks

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

November 29th, 2019 at 11:57am CST by Marc Delucchi

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.

Cowboys Won’t Fire Jason Garrett During Season

November 28th, 2019 at 4:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and EVP Stephen Jones plan to allow Jason Garrett to finish the season as the team’s head coach, no matter what happens from here on out, a high-ranking source familiar with their thinking tells ESPN.com’s Ed Werder (on Twitter). This jibes with comments made by the elder Jones earlier this week regarding Garrett’s job security between now and Week 17.

Beyond that, there’s little guaranteed for Garrett. The Cowboys have yet to reach the promised land on the coach’s watch and Jones isn’t the patient type.

“Disappointed is not the word,” Jones said after the team’s 13-9 loss to the Patriots. “There’s no question that we were given an opportunity, there were things we could have taken advantage of.”

The Cowboys entered Thursday’s game against the Bills with a 6-5 record, good for first in the NFC East, and a 64% chance to edge out the Eagles for the divisional crown. If they make the playoffs, they’ll vie for their first Super Bowl win since the 1995 season.

Jason Garrett Must Win Super Bowl To Keep Job

November 27th, 2019 at 9:38am CST by Marc Delucchi

Sources close to the Cowboys say head coach Jason Garrett must win the Super Bowl this season to retain his job, according to Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report. Freeman notes that Garrett has survived the hot seat many times before, but claims in this instance, “the rumors feel different.”

Just this morning, Dallas owner Jerry Jones intimated the same sentiment to Good Morning Football, but given Jones’ maverick history, reading into any one quote can be misleading. However, Freeman’s report confirms Garrett faces an ultimatum to reach a level he has never reached in his tenure as head coach.

Garrett holds a 83-64 overall record in his ten years as head coach in Dallas, but his 2-3 playoff record, which includes zero Super Bowl appearances remains the largest indictment on his record. His more recent refusal to integrate statistical analysis into his decision making has garnered large outside criticism, especially after he decided to kick a field goal during the Cowboys 13-9 loss to the Patriots on Sunday.

Freeman reports that executives around the league believe Jones has begun to focus on two candidates to eventually replace Garrett: former Utah, Florida, and Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Both candidates come with certain levels of risk. Meyer has never coached at the professional level and left Ohio State amidst off-field controversy. McDaniels’ was last the Broncos head coach, but was fired after a generally unsuccessful tenure. Of course, Garrett does appear to have a path to retaining his position: reaching the league’s pinnacle.