Although it captured the headlines for a while after their parting with Mike McCarthy, Deion Sanders was never genuinely considered for the Dallas Cowboys coaching position. Jones and Sanders had a brief conversation regarding the role, and at one point, Sanders was the odds-on favorite. However, he never underwent a formal interview.
On Monday, Jones affirmed that despite he and his son having high regard for Sanders, he was never truly in the running for the role. Sanders, who spent five seasons with the Cowboys and secured a Super Bowl win there, just concluded his second season coaching at Colorado. The Buffaloes, led by Heisman Trophy recipient Travis Hunter and Sanders’ son, Shadeur, finished 9-4 and made it to a bowl game for the first time since 2020.
This marked their first winning season since 2016 and only the third in the past 20 years. Following the departure of McCarthy, Jones decided to elevate Schottenheimer to head coach in a decision made late last week. The 51-year-old has been an offensive coordinator in the NFL for the past 14 years, including the last two with the Cowboys under McCarthy. The selection process was lengthy, with the Cowboys being the penultimate team to appoint a new head coach this cycle.
They waited until the day before McCarthy’s deal was set to end before parting ways with him. Another figure linked to the Cowboys’ coaching search was ex-tight end Jason Witten. The likely future Hall of Famer spent all but one of his 17 NFL seasons with the Cowboys and has been coaching a high school team near Dallas. Jones noted he has recently spoken with Witten, but not regarding a position on the Cowboys’ staff.
Jones admitted that the hiring method has caused some dissatisfaction among fans now that it’s concluded. “I get that,” Jones remarked. “I’m upset with myself right now. But the question is, what are we going to do about it? I’m the best person to address it.” Schottenheimer has already begun assembling his coaching team. He appointed former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus as his defensive coordinator and is in the process of securing an offensive coordinator.
His goal is to guide the Cowboys not only into the playoffs but at least to the NFC championship game—a milestone they haven’t reached since 1995, marking the longest active drought in the conference. Despite the high expectations, Jones has confidence in Schottenheimer’s abilities. “If you doubt my ability to step out of my comfort zone, you’re mistaken,” Jones stated, according to DLLS’ Joe Hoyt. “This is as big a gamble as you can make.”
