Even though Brian Schottenheimer was the play-caller, he still seems to know just how important offensive coordinator Klayton Adams is to the Dallas Cowboys' success. And that's the same reason he refused to let him go when the Philadelphia Eagles requested to speak with him for their OC job.
After the Eagles fired Kevin Patullo, Nick Sirianni requested to interview Adams, his former colleague in Indianapolis, for the opening, which Schottenheimer blocked.
But there's another wrinkle to this, as he revealed to the media that Sirianni directly told him he planned on requesting to interview Adams. Schottenheimer's response is music to Cowboys fans' ears. (h/t Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com).
"Nick, don't even bother. It's not gonna happen," Schottenheimer said.
Not only did they block it for a lateral move, Schotty was never going to let Dallas' main competition for the NFC East crown poach one of their most important assistants.
Brian Schottenheimer had elite response to Eagles trying to poach Dallas Cowboys OC Klayton Adams
Instead, the Eagles landed on hiring Sean Mannion, a fast-rising coach from Green Bay who boasts no play-calling experience. Not only does he not have much coaching experience, he only retired from playing in February of 2024, so the Cowboys are forcing their hated rivals into a major hiring gamble.
Even though the 43-year-old would've called plays in Philadelphia, Schottenheimer did not care. This isn't a Christian Parker type-situation where he hopped from one rival to another, because Parker landed a promotion as the DC of the Cowboys. There was no promotion in sight to be had for Adams.
Adams was brought in as Schottenheimer's OC when he was promoted to head coach after Mike McCarthy's departure. He has experience coaching both tight ends and the offensive line, and is known as one of the best run game executors in football, emerging as a very promising young coach.
That's the sort of coach you never allow your rivals to take. Allowing someone to take a promotion with a division rival is one thing, but the 52-year-old is plenty justified in his handling of this. Not only do you want to keep Adams as a non-play-calling OC, but the Eagles are the last place you'd want him to go.
The Cowboys boast a really strong offensive staff, which is why they finished near the top of the NFL in virtually every offensive statistic in 2025. Meanwhile, the Eagles' offense looked like a shell of itself, so it makes sense why they would look at a familiar foe to assume an important position on their staff.
You have to respect Sirianni for being direct, but you also have to commend Schottenheimer for putting his foot down. The Cowboys know the feeling of being blocked for coordinator interviews, so there's no better feeling than doing the blocking to sabotage a hated rival like the Eagles.