The Dallas Cowboys had a golden opportunity after moving on from Mike McCarthy to swing for the fences with their new head coach. They ultimately settled on Brian Schottenheimer, who admittedly deserves the benefit of the doubt for the coaching staff he's put together.
At the end of the day, it's not Schottenheimer's fault he got the job. The Cowboys' process that led them to hiring Schottenheimer is the impulse behind fans' vitriol.
While this hiring cycle was not loaded with proven commodities, Bill Belichick, Mike Vrabel, Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn, Liam Coen, Todd Monken, Brian Flores and even Joe Brady all arguably would have moved the needle more than Schottenheimer.
They also would have cost more than Schottenheimer, who fits right into Jerry Jones' coaching philosophy. Hiring Schottenheimer means Jones can remain in full control while paying the bare minimum out of pocket.
Schottenheimer reportedly signed for four years on the dotted line but his salary has remained a mystery. While that is still the case, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero shed some light on the particulars of Schotty's deal and they are not surprising.
Brian Schottenheimer's contract details with Cowboys confirm fans' worst fears
"The baseline for coaches right now is like $6-7 million (per year)," Pelissero said on the Rich Eisen Show. "I would fairly say Brian Schottenheimer is toward the lower end. Not at the bottom from what I've been told, but he's in the bottom half."
.@Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni is entering the final year of his contract after an epic Super Bowl run — is he primed to break the bank?@TomPelissero explains what's coming down the pike:#NFL pic.twitter.com/MsWSZbQ5KJ
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) February 13, 2025
That is music to Jerry Jones' ears.
The 82-year-old has tried to prove for 30 years that coaches shouldn't be paid top-dollar. That obviously has not worked out as the Cowboys' NFC title game drought has reached 30 years. Pelissero noted that is what "drove the wedge" between Jimmy Johnson, who was notoriously let go after leading Dallas to back-to-back Super Bowl titles in 1992 and '93.
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At the end of the day, Jones got what he wanted by hiring Schottenheimer, as Pelissero said. He didn't have to step outside his comfort zone or extend a Super Bowl-winning head coach in McCarthy, who wasn't being paid a lot to begin with.
Jones also didn't have to enter bidding war for someone like Ben Johnson, who was the most courted candidate this cycle. Per Pelissero, Johnson is the highest-paid first-time head coach ever. Pelissero wouldn't disclose the particulars, but said it's a "very large deal."
Again, though, hiring Johnson would have forced Jones to breach his comfort zone. While neither Johnson nor Schottenheimer have proven backgrounds as head coaches, Schottenheimer allowed Jones to maintain the continuity he so badly cherishes.
Maybe the Cowboys lucked into a coaching savant in Schottenheimer. Maybe the experiment goes off the rails in year one. Maybe Schotty proves to be a middle-of-the-pack coach. It would be foolish to jump to conclusions given we're still in the infancy stages of the Schotty Era.
With that being said, it is a slap in the face to Cowboys fans that Jones stuck to his ways when his way hasn't worked in over three decades.