Getty Jason Garrett with Giants QB Daniel Jones
In the days after former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett agreed to coordinate the New York Giants offense, radio silence emanated from The Star, with team officials providing zero public feedback on the changing of the hats.
That ended Tuesday.
“Jason is a football guy. He wants to go coach. He’s a great offensive mind. They got a good one in Coach Garrett,” Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones said in Mobile, site of the annual Senior Bowl, per The Athletic. “He was nothing but a class act here. I know he’ll certainly help the Giants get on the road to where they want to go.”
This was the first on-the-record statement regarding Garrett since his successor, Mike McCarthy, was introduced to the Dallas media on Jan. 8. Coincidentally, McCarthy complimented The Clapper in a similar fashion.
“I think Jason Garrett is a class act. He’s done an incredible job in his career here,” he said.
Truth be told, news of Garrett’s arrival in the Big Apple shouldn’t come as a total shock to the Cowboys’ higher-ups; owner Jerry Jones predicted last month that the 53-year-old would coach in the NFL in 2020, and New York’s had a longstanding interest in securing Garrett’s services — assistant or otherwise. Once he hit the open market, it was fait accompli.
The maneuver creates an absolutely fascinating dynamic for next season, Garrett facing his previous employer at least twice. An already-heated rivalry just got hit with a blowtorch, and Garrett’s the accelerant. Class act or not, you can bet he’ll have both games circled on his calendar, in red ink. So will the Cowboys.
Who feel they’re now in better hands. With a better leader. A more equipped leader.
“I think we have a good team that’s in its prime,” Jones said, per The Athletic. “Part of the reason Jerry and I were set on finding a coach with not only experience but a coach that had real success in the playoffs…because we do believe this team can certainly have that type of success.”
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Jones Comments on Jason Witten’s Future
Most coaches, when they land a new job, begin to surround themselves with familiar faces, confidants they can count on. Garrett is no exception, and ESPN’s Chris Mortensen recently reported that he could lure veteran Cowboys tight end Jason Witten to The City That Never Sleeps.
Mortensen didn’t specify the role in which Witten, who turns 38 in May, would have with the Giants. But his sources say the 11-time Pro Bowler “hasn’t ruled out” playing in 2020, nor has he ruled out a reunion with Garrett.
Mortensen added that McCarthy did not offer Witten a spot on his staff, a potential motive to take his talents east.
“Witten could bring a veteran presence to a young locker room like @Giants , familiarity with Garrett’s offense and a support role to some promising young tight ends,” Mortensen tweeted. “That said, nothing close to being settled on future.”
McCarthy shared a “great conversation” last week with Witten and afterward revealed the impending free agent has “a number of things he’s thinking about” and “working through right now.”
Jones seemed to echo the sentiment, intimating that Witten has yet to decide on his future and Dallas, likewise, remains in a holding pattern.
“Really nothing there to comment on,” he said, per The Athletic.
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL