The Dallas Cowboys likely will need to hire their 10th head coach in franchise history in 2025. Mike McCarthy’s five-year contract is expiring and after this lost 2024 regular season, owner/GM Jerry Jones should be ready to try someone new to help restore the team’s Super Bowl glory.
McCarthy has gone 42-25 in the regular season for Dallas, a strong winning percentage of .627, but he will end up going only three-for-five in taking the team to the playoffs, with a 1-3 record in the postseason.
Because it’s Jones and the Cowboys, everyone expects the organization to swing for the fences and take a shot at plenty of big-name hires, anywhere from hotshot coordinators to an established college coach.
With McCarthy still coaching the team in Week 11, there are no official odds on the major onshore online sportsbooks, but based on the latest rumors, two familiar heavyweights are emerging as the early best bets:
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Here we go. Sanders is trying to get the Buffaloes into the 12-team College Football Playoff in what will be the final season in Boulder for Travis Hunter and his son, Shedeur Sanders. With two of the top NFL prospects set to leave for the NFL, there’s a good chance Sanders would follow suit, trying to relive his Hall of Fame-caliber glory days in Dallas on the sidelines.
Don’t rule out the Cowboys, 3-6 and without Dak Prescott the rest of the 2024 NFL season, from having a draft pick high enough to take Hunter. Jerry Jones enjoyed luring Sanders as a shutdown corner for his Super Bowl dynasty and should have no reservations in trying to get him as a coach in his Super Bowl desperation. Between some recent reports and rampant speculation, where there’s smoke, there’s Prime.
Belichick has been mentioned in the same breath with those rumors. Jones needs to take a bigger swing after even bigger disappointment in Dallas. Belichick is the hoodied heavyweight who can be coaxed from leaving his cushy post-coaching life to going back to what loves doing most.
The question is whether Jones would be willing to give up personnel control, or at least compromise to be more collaborative with the modern tactical GOAT. The Cowboys can offer Belichick the convincing combination of money, power, and further prestige that no other NFL team can.
Johnson has made it clear he will be selective about his first head-coaching opportunity. There’s no doubt he deserves it with his fantastic work in Detroit, falling in line with a lot of other elevated ace OCs. But he wants to land in the right situation to succeed on top of pushing for a top-market salary as a young rookie. You can’t blame him for waiting given how special things have been with the Lions.
But does he want to leave that organization for potential disorganization, where he will have a lot of pressure to be the next Sean McVay, almost right away? That’s a good question, but Jones, should he need to put a third name behind the Sanders or Belichick wishlist, will do his best to make Johnson take the job.
Vrabel has been getting some buzz after he helped Tennessee overachieve in his six-year tenure. Vrabel has been staying busy as a Browns consultant in 2024, biding his time for the second shot he will get. Jones can’t forget about him, even though it ultimately didn’t work out bringing back McCarthy after his time off from the Packers.
Remember when it was a requisite to mention Lincoln Riley in Cowboys’ coaching rumors? That’s so Oklahoma. Now it’s about Sanders or Kiffin, also a one-time Raiders head coach. It’s hard to believe that gig in Oakland ended 15 years ago. Kiffin has been humbled and improved overall during his time with Tennessee, USC, Alabama (as the OC), Florida Atlantic, and Mississippi.
Kiffin would be much better equipped to have success in a second go in the NFL. Sanders is confident, but Kiffin has his own brand of swagger that lines up well with Jones and the Cowboys’ brand that needs restoring.
Jones is smart enough to know losing former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to be the head coach of the rival Commanders was a big blow to the Cowboys. Turning to Mike Zimmer has been a considerable dropoff. Flores is a huge reason why the Vikings are back in NFC playoff contention, maximizing his big defensive playmakers.
Jones went offensive-minded with McCarthy and may want to go back to defense like he did in tabbing Wade Phillips as his coach in 2007. Flores has worked hard since the raw deal in Miami in both Pittsburgh and Minnesota to ensure a second head-coaching shot. Flores, like Vrabel, also represents a Belichickian proxy.
Kingsbury grew up in San Antonio, played and coached in college in Lubbock, and also has stops at Houston and College Station on his resume. The native Texan can’t be ruled out for adding Arlington to his Lone Star frequent football punch card.
Jones has what Quinn and Kingsbury have done to displace Dallas as the second playoff-caliber team in the NFC East with Philadelphia. Jones might see turnaround is fair play in hiring Kingsbury away from Jayden Daniels in Washington. Kingsbury also would bring back the creative offensive dynamic that’s been missing minus Kellen Moore.
Is Brady still too young to be an NFL head coach? Is Brady big-swing enough for Jones? Those are the only two concerns, but they are significant ones.
Brady’s college and NFL assistant coaching resume has been impressive, being well connected with Drew Brees, Joe Burrow, and Josh Allen. He would likely be great with Prescott, who is only four years younger, but trying to be a rookie coach with the Cowboys is tough regardless of age. His recent resume isn’t as hot as Johnson’s, but Brady still will come up on every coaching replacement shortlist because of his massive McVay-like upside.
