It may have taken longer than it needed to, but Mike McCarthy is out as Dallas Cowboys head coach, and now attention turns to who will be his successor.
Such has been the mud that has been tracked through The Star over the past 18 months with the "all-in" free agency frenzy to how McCarthy was a lame-duck and now Jerry blocking "Big Mike's" Chicago Bears interview only to then part ways a few days later, there are some sections of the media who suggest the Dallas job isn't a highly sought after one.
Cowboys legend Troy Aikman, who knows a lot about the organization, didn't mince his words when reacting to the head coaching change, stating on ESPN's Monday Night Countdown that he wouldn't agree that the Cowboys job is a "coveted'' one.
But we have a few reasons why is still might be, regardless of the seeming clown show that has been performed recently.
Reason 1: The lure of breaking the drought and 'The Big Stage'
Could you imagine if you were the one to end the Cowboys' nearly three-decade-long NFC Championship drought? Or, better yet, bring a Super Bowl to Dallas?
You would be viewed differently for the rest of your life, and all that entails being linked with the Cowboys and the marketing side of the franchise.
With so much made of how little success Dallas has had since 1995, if the next head coach was "the" one to make all of that disappear, a statue would be built outside of AT&T Stadium.
That is a big carrot.
Combine that with something our Mike Fisher talks about a lot, how NFL coaches consider working here "The Big Stage.''
Wanna be an star actor? Go to Hollywood or Broadway.
Wanna be a star coach? Come to Dallas.
Reason 2: Roster foundations:
Could other head coaching jobs be more appealing to certain candidates? Sure.
But how many have a Pro Bowl quarterback in Dak Prescott, who we can safely say is at least top-15 in the NFL, an All-Pro and one of the best receivers in football in CeeDee Lamb, and an All-Pro defensive stud in Micah Parsons, who may be the best defensive player in football?
Plus, we add in All-Pro's DaRon Bland and Trevon Diggs.
Not too many.
That's a decent nucleus to build around.
Prescott, let's not forget, was second in MVP voting in 2023 and led the league in touchdown passes; plus, Lamb and Parsons have both taken huge steps in their development as leaders of the locker room, not to mention being at the top of their respective positions.
Writes The Athletic: "The Cowboys' appeal is obvious. “The roster built to win now,” a former head coach said.''
And they write that without even knowing about the $100 million available in 2025 cap room that says Dallas can win now and later.
Reason 3: The benefits of Jerry:
Wait. What? It's true.
Jones creates unique challenges for those who work here ... the most harmful of which is the Cowboys' marketing-first mindset.
But Jerry also gives his coaches latitude and freedom and tools (the facilities here between The Star and AT&T Stadium are unexcelled) and one more thing: Security.
From The Athletic, which surveyed five NFL coaches and asked which opening is the most appealing, with Dallas as the winner: "Working under Jones tends to provide job security: He’s had five coaches since 2000, all of whom got at least three years.''
Could that trio of facts be enough to make this Dallas job appealing? We say yes.
And we bet the handful of candidates who interview here will say the same.
