So, you’d like to know who the Dallas Cowboys might hire as their next head coach. Well, get in line.
With Mike McCarthy awkwardly exiting stage left this week, the most visible job in the NFL is open once again. And it’s much more intriguing this time around because there is no slam-dunk candidate, no obvious name that Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones will covet.
Maybe that sounds strange, but it’s important to remember that Jones and the Cowboys have always — will always — march to the beat of their own drum. Hiring a head coach in Dallas is rarely going to be as simple as interviewing the hotshot coordinator of the year.
Experience, proven track record and personal relationships have often weighed heavily into these things. Jones has hired eight coaches to run his franchise to date, and seven of them have possessed some combination of those attributes. Only Chan Gailey, hired and fired in just two seasons in the late 90s, stands out as having neither proven success as a head coach nor a personal relationship with Jones prior to getting the job.
All that being said, it truly feels like anyone’s guess which route Jones opts to take in 2025. Be that as it may, let’s try to figure it out anyway by inspecting some candidates — from the logical and boring to the truly outlandish. I’ve listed them in order of personal preference.
1. Philadelphia Eagles OC Kellen Moore
A fun double-dip in the sense that Moore is one of this year’s most successful assistants while also having obvious ties to the organization.
Moore got his start in coaching with the Cowboys after wrapping up his playing career in 2017. He coached quarterbacks for a year before transitioning to offensive coordinator in 2018. The Cowboys and Dak Prescott enjoyed plenty of success during his tenure, including the No. 1 offense in the league in both yards and scoring in 2021. In his first year with the Eagles, Moore is overseeing an offense that’s top 10 by almost every metric, highlighted by a 2,000-yard rushing season from Saquon Barkley.
Moore has proven himself a quality offensive coach, and he has a strong relationship with the Cowboys’ franchise quarterback. He’s also never been a head coach, which would probably mean a smaller price tag for Jones to worry about. If we’re sticking to a more conventional type of hire, Moore makes a ton of sense.
2. Bills OC Joe Brady
7. Buccaneers OC Liam Coen
With all due respect to two successful assistants, it feels like we can lump two of the younger options here into one entry.
Both Brady and Coen are clearly rising young stars. Brady, in his second stint as an NFL offensive coordinator, has helped Josh Allen to one of his best seasons and a shot at NFL MVP. He’s just 35 years old and has experienced tremendous success at both the college and pro level.
Coen, also in his second stint as an NFL offensive coordinator, picked up where Dave Canales left off and coached Baker Mayfield to the best year of his career. At just 39 years old, he has deep ties to the coveted Sean McVay coaching tree and has proven he can get Pro Bowl play out of his franchise quarterback.
Personally, I’m a bigger fan of Brady. He has the extended track record dating back to 2023, when he was promoted into the offensive coordinator job in Week 11 and helped the Bills to go 6-1. I’m admitting my own bias here, but he was also LSU’s offensive coordinator in 2019, when Joe Burrow had one of the best seasons in college football history and announced himself as a no-doubt NFL prospect.
The issue here with both is mainly age and experience. Jones’ track record suggests he wants a veteran coach who has experience in a wide variety of situations, and who has proven he can win at the highest level. Hiring a Brady or a Coen would be a swing at discovering the next McVay, and Jones has often been more reactive than proactive in this department.
Maybe the Cowboys should hire a young upstart, but the smart bet is they won’t.
3. Colorado head coach Deion Sanders
Reports surfaced Monday night that Jones had already reached out to Sanders, the Hall of Fame cornerback turned successful college head coach. Shortly after that report, Sanders himself told ESPN that the prospect of coaching the Cowboys is “intriguing,” though he loves his current setup in Boulder.
Sanders is a lightning-rod personality, but it’d make sense for a lot of reasons. There’s obviously a relationship there, as Sanders was one of Jones’ most high-profile free agent signings, played five seasons in Dallas and helped the Cowboys win Super Bowl XXX. He’s also engineered impressive stints at both Colorado and FCS Jackson State.
Just as important as any of that – eyeballs and money would follow. One of the biggest names in college football combining with the biggest brand in pro football would be an extravaganza. Rest assured; TV executives are praying for this outcome. None of that is lost on Jones.
The biggest pitfall here is the buyout on Sanders’ Colorado contract, which currently sits at $8 million. Jones might not be willing to pay that just to have the right to then pay Sanders even more money. But it could be a small price to pay for shooting the Cowboys back to the top of the conversation.
4. Lions OC Ben Johnson
Johnson is probably the first name on the wish list for the other teams trying to fill a job, but I’m not so sure about Dallas.
That might sound crazy, given what Johnson has accomplished with the Lions offense over the past three seasons. But again: This is Dallas, and the regular rules don’t apply.
Johnson is going to be an expensive hire. That’s the benefit of running the offense that’s the envy of the entire league for so long. Having watched what Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes did for Detroit, he’s also likely to want some input over the roster. Both of those things are problems for the Cowboys. Throw in the part where Johnson has no tangible relationship in Dallas, and it’s tough to see.
The first rule of covering the Cowboys is to never say never. But this one doesn’t feel as likely as many might guess.
5. Lions DC Aaron Glenn
The other coordinator in Detroit might be the more likely guy to tap for the job.
Glenn has done a masterful job coaching the defense of the NFC’s No. 1 seed, especially when you consider the losses he’s had to endure. Key pieces like Alim McNeill, Malcolm Rodriguez, Emmanuel Moseley and Alex Anzalone have all spent time on injured reserve for the Lions this season — and that’s before you mention the loss of Aidan Hutchinson, the likely NFL Defensive Player of the Year when he got hurt.
Glenn’s credentials speak for themselves, his Rolodex is deep and he also has the oh-so important ties that bind. He is a Texas native, played college football at Texas A&M and — perhaps most importantly —played two years in Dallas under Bill Parcells.
On paper, Glenn makes a lot of sense. The only issue is that, by waiting so long to part ways with McCarthy, the Cowboys missed the window to talk to Glenn during Detroit’s playoff bye week. If they want to talk to him now, an interview will have to wait until the Lions’ season is over.
6. Robert Saleh
The former Jets head coach made waves by becoming the first coaching candidate that the Cowboys officially requested to interview for this job, which is intriguing.
This decision may aggravate some fans because Saleh was just fired in New York after failing to achieve a winning record in any of his four seasons – not to mention the disastrously botched Aaron Rodgers Era. But that feels a bit harsh.
Saleh was hired to a head job for coaching San Francisco’s defense into a terrifying unit, and he quickly molded the Jets into a Top 5 defense across the entire league. He’s extremely good at what he does on the defensive side of the ball. True, the Jets’ offensive failings fall at his feet as head coach, but a lot of that has to do with not having quality quarterback play. He would not have that issue in Dallas, with Dak Prescott in the fold.
The success of this hire might hinge on who Saleh could hire to call his offense, but there’s plenty of reason for optimism on that front. He has deep connections to Kyle Shanahan, having coached in San Francisco for four years, and he’s close friends with Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. You’d like to think he’d have a leg up in identifying a quality offensive coordinator to come with him.
It’s certainly not a home run swing, and it’d require a few things to break correctly, but there’s plenty of reason to think this could work.
7. Pete Carroll
A former head coach, and it’s one that fits.
Carroll is a Super Bowl winner who’s currently out of a job. He has laid relatively low since stepping down gracefully in Seattle at this time last year, but it doesn’t sound like he wants to stay away much longer. He reportedly interviewed for the Las Vegas Raiders’ job opening this week, and he has also spoken with the Chicago Bears.
There’s no obvious relationship with Jones to speak of, but that probably doesn’t matter when you’ve won 170 games and a Super Bowl at the NFL level, not to mention creating a college dynasty at USC.
Carroll is famous for the enthusiasm and energy that defies his 73 years, and he’s also used to a shared power structure, as he co-existed for a decade with general manager John Schneider in Seattle. He seems like he’d be adaptable to the unique situation that is the Dallas Cowboys, and for that reason alone he’s worth keeping an eye on.
9. Washington Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury
Don’t underestimate the impact of watching someone kick ass with your divisional rival.
Kingsbury’s stint as Arizona Cardinals head coach ended poorly, but he’s enjoyed a renaissance calling plays for Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders – who happen to reside in Dallas’ division, the NFC East.
Maybe that’s a stretch, but I promise you Jones has taken note of the fact that Washington — a punchline for the past 30 years — is suddenly a force to be reckoned with. Daniels deserves a ton of credit for that, but Kingsbury has done a wonderful job adapting to his personnel. The Commanders are one of the most efficient offenses in the NFL, which doesn’t happen by accident.
This year’s success, combined with Kingsbury’s four years of head coaching experience, might make him a candidate worth calling.
10. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian
Maybe Jones wants to try the Jimmy Johnson route again and hire one of the most accomplished head coaches in the college game. The 50-year-old Sarkisian has completely rebranded himself just down I-35 in Austin, Texas, by compiling a 38-17 record across the past five years with the Longhorns, punctuated by back-to-back trips to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff.
There’s NFL experience on the resume, too. Sarkisian replaced Kyle Shanahan as Atlanta’s offensive coordinator in 2017-18, and he coached quarterbacks for the Raiders in 2004.
Sarkisian also has a tie to the Jones Family, as one of Jerry Jones’ grandsons played for him at Texas. Between that and the ‘Horns routine appearances at AT&T Stadium these past few years, it’s a good bet the two have crossed paths.
It wouldn’t be a long trip from Austin to DFW.
11. North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick
You’ve got to wonder if Belichick regrets his decision to get out in front of the NFL hiring cycle by taking the North Carolina job five weeks ago.
Belichick likely opted for college football because he didn’t want to get left hanging by the NFL once again. But he probably wasn’t banking on the Cowboys job becoming available.
Could wind up being an all-time blunder, because it’s hard to imagine Belichick wouldn’t be Jones’ first phone call if he was still unemployed. The only guy on the market who can be seen as a definitive upgrade from a Super Bowl winning head coach is a six-time Super Bowl winning head coach.
The story might not be over, though. Jones could still hire Belichick, if he was willing to pay the $10 million buyout on his contract. With respect to the Tar Heels, I’ve got to think Belichick would go if Jones was that serious about hiring him.
That isn’t the only factor worth weighing. Belichick got used to having total control over operations in New England. He held sway over big things like personnel decisions, as well as small things like media relations. Suffice to say, that wouldn’t be the case in Dallas.
This might be more likely if it didn’t cost $10 million to get Belichick out of Chapel Hill. When you factor that on top of all the other variables, it feels like this ship might have sailed.
12. Jason Witten
Let’s get weird with it. Not many franchises would pluck a former cornerstone player out of high school coaching and put him in charge of an NFL team, but this is Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys we’re talking about.
Witten has been busy since retiring for good after the 2020 season. This fall, he coached Liberty Christian School, located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area — to a second-straight state title. In Witten’s two years, the Warriors are 27-1 and winning games by an average score of 49-10.
That’s really good for high school, but not good enough for the NFL … right? Well, about that.
Witten played 16 years for the Cowboys and developed an especially close relationship with the Jones Family. He’ll be a Cowboys Ring of Honor member and a Pro Football Hall of Famer at some point in the near future. Jones made it clear as recently as a few months ago what he thinks of Witten’s potential as a coach.
“He has something you can’t draw up, reminds me a lot of our other tight end, he’s the head coach up at Detroit right now,” Jones said back in November.
Dan Campbell, who played with Witten in Dallas for three years, also spent 11 years coaching across the NFL before Detroit gave him a shot. But that’s not important. What’s important is that the owner of the Cowboys sees similar traits and abilities in a former great player that he has on speed dial.
It’d be unconventional. It’d be controversial. It’s also totally possible — or at least plausible.
13. Jon Gruden
Reports started trickling out around New Year’s that a surprise candidate could get hired in this NFL coaching cycle, and Gruden’s name has been in the mix ever since.
If we’re only talking about football, the credentials obviously might appeal to Jones. Twenty-one years coaching in the NFL, 15 years as a head coach, five postseason trips and one Super Bowl championship. It’s an enviable resume, though we should probably point out that Gruden only reached the postseason twice in nine attempts after that Super Bowl XXXVII victory.
Regardless, the issue with Gruden is a lot less to do with football. He’s been out of the league since midway through the 2021 season, when he resigned as coach of the Raiders after emails of him using racist, homophobic and misogynistic language were discovered during a league investigation. He hasn’t worked in the NFL since and is still involved in a legal battle with the league stemming from that activity.
Again, if anyone was going to blow past those types of concerns to hire his guy, it might be Jerry Jones. And it would lead to a busy news cycle.
David Helman covers the NFL for FOX Sports and hosts the NFL on FOX podcast. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team’s official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing “Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion” about the quarterback’s time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter at @davidhelman_.
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