If you are reading this, it is now Wednesday morning and the Dallas Cowboys still have not made a decision on head coach Mike McCarthy.

The Chicago Bears have requested to interview McCarthy for their own head coach opening. Embarrassingly, it took Jones over 24 hours to get back to Chicago. He denied the request, so seems as though the team wants McCarthy back.

While McCarthy is the two-tone elephant in the room, Jones also has to make a decision on the entire coaching staff, all of which is on an expiring contract. That includes defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who really found his footing as the season went a long.

Cowboys fans universally want Zimmer back, but Micah Parsons made it sound like after Sunday’s finale that Zimmer might not want to come back. Zimmer admitted that his return to coaching hasn’t been easy. Parsons thinks Zimmer may “ride off into the sunset” as to imply he might retire.

This is part of the issue with Jones hitting the pause button on Dallas’ offseason. Even if McCarthy returns, Jones may have to replace other assistants.

Teams with vacancies have already started the interview process. It is too early to know whom the Cowboys would circle as their ideal Zimmer replacement (if he leaves), but many fans have pointed to former Jets head coach and longtime 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.

Well, Saleh is on the shortlist of head coach candidates for the Jaguars, who fired Doug Pederson Monday following a 4-13 season. Jacksonville has a competitive list that includes Lions coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, as well as old friend Kellen Moore.

Saleh is far from a shoo-in to get the job, but he was an assistant with Jacksonville from 2014-16 before he became the 49ers defensive coordinator. There is a lot of love for Saleh in the Jaguars building

After a failed Jets tenure, Saleh would be best served presiding over a defense in 2025 rather than jumping back into head coaching. The Bengals are a possible landing spot, but the Cowboys would be the most attractive destination for Saleh if Zimmer leaves.

Even though the Jets couldn’t help but lose under Saleh, they flaunted an elite defense throughout his coaching tenure. He’s one of the best defensive minds in the sport and he’s a great motivator. You couldn’t name a better replacement for Zimmer, but again the