Ever since Jimmy Johnson's firing more than 30 years ago, a through-line has linked the seven men who have since held the job of Dallas Cowboys head coach: Jerry Jones has been the club's true boss and culture-setter.
If the name that's gathering steam winds up getting the job, that will be more true than ever.
Shan Shariff, a morning host on the Dallas Cowboys' flagship radio station in Dallas, tweeted Tuesday that offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer could be getting an offer to become the club's next head coach soon.
Hearing an offer could be coming soon for Brian Schottenheimer. #Cowboys #ShanandRJ
— Shan Shariff (@1053SS) January 21, 2025
Schottenheimer, 51, is the son of longtime NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer. His path through coaching has been pretty typical: he entered the profession as an off-field assistant with the St. Louis Rams in 1997, with stops on his father's staffs in Kansas City, Washington and San Diego in the late '90s and early 2000s.
His best work appears to have been as the New York Jets offensive coordinator from 2006-11, where he helped that historically-downtrodden franchise to three playoff appearances and two AFC Championship berths under two head coaches. From there, Schottenheimer spent three years as the Rams' OC under Jeff Fisher (the club never finished above .500); one year as Georgia's offensive coordinator (Mark Richt was fired afterward); two seasons as the Indianapolis Colts quarterbacks coach (he had Andrew Luck); three seasons as the Seattle Seahawks OC (the club did win a playoff game); and one season as the Jacksonville Jaguars passing game coordinator (they went 4-13).
Schottenheimer joined the Cowboys in 2022 as a coaching analyst, then was promoted to the team's non-play calling coordinator after Kellen Moore was let go and Mike McCarthy took over the play sheet.
Schottenheimer has never been a head coach before, which would not ordinarily be an issue if not for two facts:
1) He's received no interest from any of the other seven NFL franchises with openings
2) It's highly unlikely Schottenheimer would receive any interest from Dallas if he weren't already in Dallas
Jones has historically had a low view of the coaching profession, saying on multiple occasions that 500 different candidates could be the Cowboys' head coach.
Perhaps Schottenheimer's name is a smoke screen. Perhaps Shariff is being fed bad information. Perhaps Schottenheimer is the next Tom Landry and only Jerry Jones can see it.
Or perhaps Jerry is about to call his own bluff and put his theory to the test.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.