Getty Cowboys DC Dan Quinn
The Dallas Cowboys defense will enjoy one more season of Dan Quinn’s tutelage.
In a surprising development, Quinn has informed teams around the NFL that he will remain Dallas’ defensive coordinator in 2022, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Thursday, January 27.
“Six teams requested head-coaching interviews with Quinn, who decided he wanted to return to Dallas and try to win a Super Bowl,” Pelissero tweeted. “He should be a hot name again next year.”
What’s more, Mike Fisher of SI.com reports Quinn received a “substantial raise” from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, enticing the 51-year-old assistant to rebuff head-coaching overtures from his top suitors, including the Denver Broncos, New York Giants, and Chicago Bears.
“In league circles it’s well-known that he is a top candidate for not only 2023 NFL jobs but maybe for the Cowboys top job should Jones – presently angry about Dallas’ playoff loss and allowing the public to gossip about recent Saints retiree Sean Payton – move on from Mike McCarthy,” Fisher wrote.
“For now, all this means is this: ‘Dan is staying in Dallas, that’s it for this year and we’ll see what happens next year,’ a league source told us,” Fisher added.
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Cowboys, Quinn Thinking Long-Term?
After transforming Dallas from a bottom-feeding 2020 defense into a top-ten 2021 unit (in points allowed per game) — they also led the league in takeaways — Quinn drew heavy appeal from the Broncos and Bears, becoming a HC finalist with both organizations. The former ultimately hired Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett while the latter tapped Colts DC Matt Eberflus.
But while team brass, to their credit, allowed Quinn to explore greener pastures, the possibility of hanging onto him always existed. Likewise for OC Kellen Moore, who interviewed for several openings and tentatively is expected to stay put in Big D.
“At the end of the day it’s real hard to keep people from taking a head football coaching opportunity. I mean, they are hard to come by,” Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones said on 105.3 The Fan on Monday, January 17, via ESPN. “There’s a big difference between being a coordinator and being a head coach. Certainly we understand.
“They deserve it. They had their full body of work with a very successful season. Dan has had success as a head coach. That just comes with the territory, and we’ll have to roll up our sleeves with them. We’ve had great relationships with both men, and we’ll just work with them as they navigate these waters. And as we do that, we’ll be thinking about what the future holds for the Cowboys as well. Obviously that will be first and foremost.”
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Parsons’ Wish Granted
After the Cowboys’ season abruptly ended in the NFC Wild Card Round, and it appeared likely that coaching turnover would take place, linebacker Micah Parsons issued a public plea for Quinn to stick around.
“I hope Q is back. That’s my dog. … Q, I hope you stay, if you see this,” Parsons said on January 16, via The Athletic.
The 12th overall pick of the 2021 draft, Parsons quickly blossomed into Quinn’s top pupil, leading the Cowboys in sacks (13) and tackles-for-loss (20) en route to Defensive Rookie of the Year honors — for which Quinn was credited.
“Q just found a way to touch everybody in our defensive room’s heart,” Parsons said, via ESPN. “I think he found a way for us all to want to fight for him, play for him. Some things is just more than football and I think that’s what Q represents. It’s never just football with Q. … He’s a hands-on coach. He made sure you really understood everything that was going on. He didn’t let nothing go without being understood, so I think that’s what Q did to us.”