Former Cowboys star Jason Witten has been touted as a potential head coaching replacement following the departure of Mike McCarthy
The Dallas Cowboys‘ the search for the franchise’s next head coach is underway.
On Monday, longtime Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones confirmed that the organization and the coach Mike McCarthy they parted amicably. “Before we got to the point of contract negotiations, it became mutually clear that it would be better for each of us to go in a different direction. I thank Mike and wish him, his wife Jessica, and their family the best. They have been a wonderful part of our community here,” Jones said in a statement obtained by ESPN.
After news of McCarthy’s departure broke, speculation began about his possible replacement. During the pregame broadcast of the wild-card round games on Monday between Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings, ESPN reported that the former Cowboys star tight end is under consideration for the head coaching job.
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Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten smiles on the sidelines during the Los Angeles Rams game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on December 15, 2019. (Matthew Emmons-USA Today Sports)
“They can and will conduct a search here to try to find the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys,” said Adam Schefter during ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown.”
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“Obviously it’s new, it’s just getting started. We’ll see what it brings them. A lot of names are floating around. I think at some point they could have some level in Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. Potentially even Jason Witten, all-time franchise great , but it’s very early and we’ll see where Jerry Jones goes with his search. But the Cowboys are looking for a new head coach.”
Jason Witten, an Elizabeth student and former Tennessee Volunteer and Dallas Cowboy, watches from the sidelines during the BlueCross Bowl between Tullahoma and Elizabethton at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga on Dec. 4, 2021. (Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel/USA Today Network)
Witten was selected by the Cowboys in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He used up all but one NFL season with a franchise. Witten initially retired after the 2017 season and spent some time in the ESPN broadcast booth. But he ended up returning to the Cowboys in 2019.
He remains the franchise’s all-time leader in receiving and receiving. Witten last appeared in an NFL game with Las Vegas Raiders in 2020
Since parting ways with McCarthy, another former Cowboys star has also been linked with the coaching vacancy – Deion Sanders.
Colorado football coach Deion Sanders looks on against Texas Tech in a Big 12 game Nov. 9, 2024 at Jones’ AT&T Stadium. (Stephen Garcia/Avalanche-Journal/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Sanders, who won a Super Bowl with the Cowboys during his five-year tenure with the franchise, is currently the head football coach in Colorado.
Jerry Jones and Jason Witten attend LIVE on Netflix: Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium on November 15, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix © 2024)
If Sanders does end up in the Dallas-Forth Worth Metroplex, his arrival would coincide with one of Jones’ recent coaching hires. Jason Garrett was the head coach of the Cowboys from 2010-19. He was primarily Troy Aikman’s backup quarterback from 1993 to 1999.
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The Cowboys are looking to reset after finishing 7-10 this past regular season. Starting quarterback Dak Prescott he missed the last nine games with a hamstring injury.
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