Shocking Jason Witten domino falls after Cowboys introduce Brian Schottenheimer

ByJerry Trotta|
Washington Redskins v Dallas Cowboys
Washington Redskins v Dallas Cowboys | Richard Rodriguez/GettyImages

The Dallas Cowboys scored a huge win on Wednesday when they announced they signed vice president of player personnel Will McClay to a five-year contract extension. The deal ties McClay to the organization through the 20230 draft.

McClay's contract was set to expire in May. It was feared the Cowboys would wait until the eleventh hour to explore an extension with their lead scout; kind of like how they approach new deals with their homegrown stars.

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Keeping McClay gives Brian Schottenheimer the best chance to succeed as head coach. It also helps that Dallas is surrounding Schottenheimer with a strong coaching staff.

As coaching dominos continue to fall both in Dallas and around the league, Cowboys fans are intrigued to learn whether Jason Witten is joining Schotty's staff. Jerry Jones was asked about Witten after Schottenheimer's introductory press conference on Monday and gave a surprising verdict.

Cowboys' Jerry Jones reveals Jason Witten's coaching fate for 2025

According to Jones, Witten is not expected to join Schottenheimer's staff in any capacity this season. While Jones praised Witten, the team's all-time leader in catches and receiving yards, as a "great coach", he doesn't foresee a role for him in 2025.

As recently as a few weeks ago it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Witten would be on the coaching staff.

Insiders of both the local and national variety immediately linked Witten to the head coaching vacancy, though that never felt realistic. But as a tight ends coach? Under a first-year HC in Schottenheimer? Surely Jones would follow through on the speculation.

It was also a reported that Dallas made an absurd Witten pitch to McCarthy before the two sides parted ways.

Per Jane Slater of NFL Network, the team posed hiring Witten to McCarthy's staff, likely as a consultant or position coach, as McCarthy's eventual successor. Jones seemingly wanted McCarthy to mentor Witten and mold him into head coach material. That may have ultimately forced McCarthy out the door, but it made it seem inevitable that Witten would be on the 2025 staff.

Witten recently won a state championship coaching high school football in Texas, but it's for the best he isn't returning to the Cowboys this year. The backlash that ensued when he was floated as a HC candidate was borderline toxic. A legend like Witten doesn't deserve that.

In the meantime, though, the hires Dallas has made post-Schottenheimer are worth getting excited about.

Matt Eberflus is a home run hire at defensive coordinator and Nick Sorensen, the new special teams coordinator, is widely respected around the NFL from both his time as a player and coach. The team also interviewed Cardinals offensive line coach Klayton Adams for their offensive coordinator position so he could be joining the staff by the time this article is published.

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