The Dallas Cowboys have announced that offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has agreed to become the team’s next head coach. This decision, which surprised some, was made public on Friday evening.
Schottenheimer is familiar to star quarterback Dak Prescott, who worked closely with him for the past two seasons when former coach Mike McCarthy was handling play-calling duties.
Dak Prescott had expressed support for the return of McCarthy, whose five-year contract with Dallas had expired. However, McCarthy and the Cowboys mutually decided to part ways last week.
At 51 years old, Brian Schottenheimer is the son of the late NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer. He brings 25 years of coaching experience in the NFL, including 14 as an offensive coordinator. However, Schottenheimer has never been a head coach before.
The Search Process
Schottenheimer was the only known candidate interviewed for the head coach position. His interview process started on Tuesday and continued for several hours on Wednesday. He is the ninth head coach hired by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones since he bought the team in 1989. Jones had previously fired Tom Landry, the only coach the Cowboys had for their first 29 seasons.
Schottenheimer is the seventh head coach hired by Jones since the Cowboys last made it past the divisional round of the playoffs in 1995, when the team won its fifth Super Bowl title. The Cowboys are expected to hold an introductory news conference on Monday.
Brian Schottenheimer joined the Cowboys as a consultant in 2022 and became the offensive coordinator when McCarthy took over play-calling duties the following year. Prescott had one of the best seasons of his career in 2022, finishing as the runner-up for NFL MVP.
However, the Cowboys had a disappointing playoff loss to Green Bay after leading by 27-0 at halftime.
In Schottenheimer’s second season with Prescott, things didn’t go as well. The Cowboys finished with a 7-10 record, ending a streak of three consecutive seasons with 12-5 records.
Before joining the Cowboys, Schottenheimer was the passing game coordinator for Jacksonville for one season. He also served as the offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks from 2018-2020, where the team ranked in the top 10 in scoring offense each year but struggled in the playoffs.
Schottenheimer’s first tenure as an offensive coordinator lasted six seasons with the New York Jets from 2006-2011, followed by three years in the same role with the St. Louis Rams.
Other Candidates Considered
The Cowboys held a virtual interview with Philadelphia offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who had worked as Prescott’s play-caller from 2019 to 2022. Moore’s Eagles are playing Washington in the NFC title game on Sunday. Dallas also interviewed two former head coaches in person: Robert Saleh and Leslie Frazier. Saleh accepted an offer to return to San Francisco as defensive coordinator after leaving the New York Jets, while Frazier is currently the assistant head coach in Seattle.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones also had informal discussions with Colorado coach Deion Sanders, a Hall of Fame cornerback who played for the Cowboys for five seasons and helped them win their last Super Bowl.
