NFL Trade Rumors: Dallas Cowboys Make Shocking Coaching Hire

The Dallas Cowboys have found their new locker room leader, and they didn't have to look far. The Cowboys have officially announced that offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer will be the team's next head coach.

Cowboys are hiring offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer as their new head coach, Jerrry Jones tells ESPN.

“Brian Schottenheimer is known as a career assistant,” Jones said. “He ain’t Brian no more. He is now known as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.” pic.twitter.com/JtGoltP1mC
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 25, 2025

Congrats, Coach Schottenheimer! ⭐️

Tune in to the official introductory press conference Monday, January 27th at 11am CT.#DallasCowboys | 📰: https://t.co/VFHlroDWjz pic.twitter.com/2D7MM7nIMZ
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) January 25, 2025

The Cowboys were in need of a new head coach after allowing Mike McCarthy's contract to expire. McCarthy managed a 49-35 record over his five-year tenure with the team, but his 1-3 record in the postseason clearly left the organization wanting more.

The Cowboys were linked to multiple splashy head coach candidates in recent weeks, including Colorado Buffalos head coach Deion Sanders and Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

Schottenheimer is a significantly less glamorous choice. He's 51 years old and has never been a head coach at any level. Prior to joining the Cowboys in 2022, he had three unremarkable runs as an OC with the New York Jets, the St. Louis Rams, and the Seattle Seahawks. Over his 14 seasons as a play-caller, his offenses have only finished in the top 10 for yards gained twice.

Promoting Schottenheimer is an underwhelming move for a Cowboys organization that has signalled its recent success isn't enough. He's not completely without virtue: His offenses vacillated from excellent to mediocre in his two years as Cowboys OC, falling from first in points scored in 2023 to 21st in 2024. But even that was largely par for the course for the Cowboys under McCarthy. Prior to Schottenheimer taking over, the Cowboys finished 17th, first, and fourth in points scored from 2020 to 2022.

If maintaining what they already had was a high priority for the Cowboys, they should have just kept McCarthy. Schottenheimer hasn't given fans much to get excited about in his long NFL career, and it's very unlikely McCarthy held him back. This hire reeks of compromise and disappointment for the Cowboys. It's possible they were aiming higher and missed out.