Cowboys’ hiring of Brian Schottenheimer shows Jerry Jones’ priority is his own power

Jerry Jones’ Dallas Cowboys move differently than the rest of the 31 NFL teams. they are “all together” to “do it with less.”

dallas parted ways with head coach Mike McCarthy After five seasons, Jones decided to promote McCarthy offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. be the next head coach of the Cowboys . Jones did so despite Schottenheimer not calling plays in each of his final two seasons as the team’s OC since that was a responsibility that McCarthy famously took up after Kellen Moore stepped down as the Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator in 2023.

Jones, now 82, has indicated by his actions that he prefers comfort and profit margins to a true all-in pursuit of another Super Bowl. The Cowboys have spent the least amount of money on free agents, $20.47 million according to OverTheCap.com, since the conclusion of last season’s Super Bowl, and Dallas signed first-time NFL head coach Schottenheimer , with a four-year contract that is likely one of the lowest compensation in the league given the unique circumstances surrounding Schottenheimer’s promotion. Notably, the Cowboys did not interview any of the top NFL candidates this hiring cycle, including: former Lions OC/now Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson, now New England head coach Patriots, Mike Vrabel, the former Lions DC/now-New York Jets. head coach Aaron Glenn (former Cowboys cornerback), Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, six-time Super Bowl head coach Bill Belichick, or Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. Dallas interviewed four candidates before settling on their current offensive coordinator down the hall. No other team attempted to interview Schottenheimer in this recruiting cycle, so the 51-year-old had no real leverage in negotiating the details of his new deal.

Cowboys hire Brian Schottenheimer as head coach: Jerry Jones promotes Dallas offensive coordinator to top job

Garrett Podell

However, Jones can say he prioritized the continuity of quarterback Dak Prescott, the 2023 NFL MVP runner-up whom Jones made the highest-paid player in the league by waiting until hours before Week 1 against Cleveland. Browns to re-sign to a four-year contract. , Extension of 240 million dollars. In reality, Jones valued giving himself continuity by hiring someone who was already in his building. Schottenheimer has 12 years of offensive play-calling experience as an offensive coordinator with the New York Jets (2006-2011), Rams (2012-2014) and Seattle Seahawks (2018-2020). He spent the 2021 season as quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator for first overall pick quarterback Trevor Lawrence on Urban Meyer’s Jacksonville Jaguars staff before crash-landing in Dallas as a consultant in 2022.

Brian Schottenheimer as OC and responsible for offensive plays

It’s fair to wonder if Jones’ lack of investment in free agency last offseason had to do with not wanting to fully commit to McCarthy as an outgoing duck while working on extensions for Prescott and All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. Now, it’s clear that taking the comfortable route rather than the one that involves the effort of bringing in more expensive outside help is the way the Cowboys operate now. Three-time All-Pro running back Micah Parsons attempted to avoid this operating procedure in 2025 by beginning his extension negotiations with Jones on January 10 in the owner’s suite in the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal. Parsons is pushing to get his deal done as soon as possible so Jones can maneuver around the salary cap to add more pieces and depth around himself, Prescott and Lamb in an effort to avoid another injury-ravaged season in 2025.

What Jones showed by hiring Schottenheimer is that his Cowboys are going to continue down the path they’ve taken the furthest since the departure of Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson in 1994: their road or the highway. He said as much himself after the team’s Week 18 loss against the Washington Commanders that brought their record to 7-10. Jones stated that he bought the Cowboys to lead them his way for life. Schottenheimer’s hiring is further proof of this reality: Jones, the owner, is “committed” to Jones, the general manager.

“No, no,” Jones said after the game in Week 18 when asked if he would consider giving someone else the title of Cowboys general manager. “I bought the equipment. I think the first thing out of my mouth, anyone here who was at that press conference? OK, somebody asked, ‘Did you buy this for your kids?’ I said, ‘Hell, no. I bought it for myself and I didn’t buy something I was going to do when I was 46. I bought something for the rest of my life, and that’s what I’m doing. .So no, the fact is, since I have to decide where the money is spent, then you better put all that nonsense aside, that’s who makes the decision anyway.”