Cowboys news: Coaching search, Deion Sanders rumors, Troy Aikman and more

Despite not being in the playoffs this year, Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys always manage to keep themselves in the public eye no matter what’s happening.

One day into the week we got our answer about Mike McCarthy’s fate in Dallas and that created a firestorm of opinion around the NFL. So of course, when a coach is shown the door, we’ve got to replace him with a flashier candidate in Jerry’s world. That’s where we are this week in Cowboys news and we even got a message from Troy Aikman on the state of his former team.

Mike McCarthy out as Cowboys head coach

In a move that shocked some and delighted others, it was announced Monday that Mike McCarthy would not be returning for year six in Dallas as the team has parted ways with the Super Bowl-winning coach. Had he been able to win one in Big D, we wouldn’t be having this conversation but here we are.

This feels like the right move as the Cowboys seem to have peaked under McCarthy, especially in the postseason. During his five years in Dallas McCarthy put together three consecutive 12-win campaigns in between two losing seasons. The Cowboys managed to win just one of their four playoff games under McCarthy, being eliminated in the wild card round two out of three years.

It was only a few days ago that Jerry Jones denied the Chicago Bears access to speaking with McCarthy about their head coaching vacancy. Now this news comes down and it makes one wonder what that was about. McCarthy is free now to do as he pleases but the Cowboys have a lot of work to do. Jones already missed the window last week for interviewing Detroit’s coordinators, Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, two of the top candidates in this year’s coaching cycle.

Is Deion Sanders next in line?

With McCarthy out of the picture, now things shift to former Cowboy and NFL Hall of Famer, Deion Sanders. Primetime, as he’s known, is currently the head coach at The University of Colorado, but with his sons entering the NFL Draft, speculation is coach Prime could follow.

So, of course, with Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders being projected as a potential first-round pick, the Cowboys have been attached to him as a possible suitor. In turn, this could be enough to get coach Prime to up and leave Colorado to potentially coach the Cowboys. Yes, it sounds like quite a long shot but crazier things have happened.

If Jones should feel so inclined to take a swing for the fences and pursue the elder Sanders it would not be cheap. On top of paying Deion whatever he’d demand, there would be an $8 million buyout attached. So, if this move is to come to fruition, it’ll need to be one that Jerry absolutely must be sold on.

Troy Aikman drops facts on Cowboys HC job

Former Dallas Cowboys legend and Monday Night Football commentator, Troy Aikman kept it real after the announcement of the Cowboys moving on from Mike McCarthy. Aikman thought McCarthy would return to his post as head coach in Dallas. However, Aikman isn’t convinced that the opening in Big D is “coveted” around the league.

"Well, I thought Mike McCarthy would be the head coach, so this is a bit of a surprise for me today that he's not going to be," Aikman said Monday night on ESPN. "It suggests that there's not a real plan. The fact that they haven't had the opportunity to interview a Ben Johnson and some of these others, Aaron Glenn. ... Kellen Moore being a candidate seems logical to me: a guy who has familiarity with the building. He worked obviously with the Cowboys and with Jerry Jones.

“In fact when Mike McCarthy got the job, it was told to Mike that Kellen would be the offensive coordinator, so that's how much the Jones family thinks of him. Beyond that, it's hard to imagine. As a coveted job, I don't know that that's accurate. I do think the Cowboys are a high-profile team, and whoever is head coach of that team is certainly going to draw a lot of attention. I think most football people that take over as head coach want to do it on their terms. That's hard to do.