It was obvious soon after the NFL regular season ended – Jerry Jones had no idea what he was going to do about his head coach. He was non-committal, but didn’t allow teams to interview Mike McCarthy. McCarthy's contract was a week from ending so Jones had time to make decisions.
Then McCarthy and Jones couldn’t come to an agreement. So, Jones spent the following weeks combing through every possible scenario that even included Deion Sanders, Kellen Moore and possibly even Jon Gruden.
Jones decided on none of the above. He chose Brian Schottenheimer, a career coordinator. It’s the most important job in the NFL, leading the Dallas Cowboys. Of all the names that circulated, Schottenheimer was the lowest on the totem pole.
That’s exactly what he gets for not being patient. Jones forced a head coach before the season was over and there were far better options than Schottenheimer.
Jerry Jones showed wrong kind of urgency when choosing Brian Schottenheimer to lead Cowboys
There are at least three coaches better than Schottenheimer that Jones could have taken seriously. There’s the caveat that they didn’t necessarily want the job, but Joe Brady, Kellen Moore and Steve Spagnuolo were all much better options.
Let’s break them down. With Brady, the Cowboys would have hired a great offensive coach to get the Cowboys back on track. This past season, Dallas’ offense was extremely inconsistent. It’s why they went through a mid-season slump which culminated in a season-ending injury for quarterback Dak Prescott.
This offense is vastly similar to that of the Buffalo Bills. If Jones recognized that, what Brady was able to do in Buffalo could have been Dallas next season. That said, Brady probably didn’t want the job because he’d rather have control over the offense than be a pawn of Jones, which is in the fine print when you sign your coaching contract.
Moore, who’s headed to the Super Bowl with division rival Philadelphia in a couple weeks, was the most obvious answer. Was he the best candidate? Probably not, but Jones loves familiarity. Moore would have brought that and Jones knows he would have wanted the job.
Oh how ironic if the New Orleans Saints hire Moore and he succeeds immediately – it would be Sean Payton all over again. Jones would once again be kicking himself for getting in his own way.
And then there’s Spagnuolo, who probably would have been the best thing for the Cowboys since Jimmy Johnson led Dallas. Dallas’ defense took a hit when Dan Quinn took over Washington and with Mike Zimmer possibly retiring, it’s not optimistic for 2025.
Spagnuolo would have instantly bolstered this defense. Look at what he’s done with Kansas City’s defense. The Chiefs don’t reach the Super Bowl without their defense. Patrick Mahomes went through possibly his worst season in the NFL and the Chiefs had two losses.
The defense bailed out Mahomes week after week. That should have been enough to pluck Spagnuolo without even needing to interview him. Then again, though, he probably wasn’t interested in being in a fish bowl with a micromanaging owner.
Jones went with the safe and somewhat odd decision in hiring Schottenheimer, who has zero head coaching experience. He passed up at least three better candidates. If it’s because they weren’t interested in the job, Jones has to reconsider the hierarchy structure because it’s costing his team consistent success.