The Dallas Cowboys can't even get a proper firing done correctly. Mike McCarthy, rather than being canned as the season ended, was let go weeks later after the two sides were unable to come together on an equitable contract for both parties.
The Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs are currently on byes. Detroit's coordinators, OC Ben Johnson and DC Aaron Glenn, might be the two most coveted head coach candidates this cycle. Kansas City has two former head coaches in OC Matt Nagy and DC Steve Spagnuolo.
Teams snuck in interviews with those four during their bye week, as is allowed by recently established rules. Now that they have to prep for games against the Commanders and Texans, the Cowboys will be unable to interview any of that quartet until their seasons are over. Oops!
Dallas, who has typically placed an emphasis on past head coaching experience in their coaching searches, also missed out on the chance to possibly lure former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel over to Dallas. With Vrabel agreeing to take command of the New England Patriots, the Cowboys' options are limited.
Cowboys waiting to part with Mike McCarthy costs them early Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn interview
Johnson, who has Detroit averaging over 30 points per game, has been coveted by the Bears, Jaguars, and Raiders, the latter of whom is being aided by Tom Brady as part of the ownership group. Jones will need to sell him on Dak Prescott being the best quarterback for him at this point.
Glenn, a Texas native who played with Dallas for two seasons under Bill Parcells, has been mentioned as a frontrunner for both the Saints and Jets vacancies. Nagy and Spagnuolo are coming off a Super Bowl win in Kansas City. The former won Coach of the Year in Chicago, and the latter is arguably the top defensive coordinator in the game.
Vrabel would have been an attractive hire if the Cowboys were looking for a coach earlier, as Jones has been shown to often prefer coaches with past experience in the pros. Look no further than McCarthy. However, the Patriots snapped him up, and the Cowboys were left to fight over the scraps.
The Cowboys, in a year where the Eagles might win the Super Bowl and the Commanders went from 4-13 to winning a road playoff game, might be left to hire a head coach who would be further down on their list.
Another classic case of Cowboys mismanagement helmed by none other than Jerry Jones.