Getty Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is rumored as a possible replacement for Vic Fangio in Denver. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
Dan Quinn is the “clubhouse leader” to become the next head coach of the Denver Broncos, who requested an interview with the in-demand Cowboys defensive coordinator, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News reported Monday, January 10.
It’s unclear as of this writing whether Quinn will in fact speak with the Broncos, who also submitted an interview request for Cowboys offensive boss Kellen Moore. Quinn previously rejected similar overtures from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“Broncos requested interviews with Cowboys DC Dan Quinn and Cowboys OC Kellen Moore for head coach position, source said,” Gehlken tweeted. “Quinn the ‘clubhouse leader’ entering interview process, given his past HC experience, relationship with GM George Paton and ability to galvanize locker room.”
Among the hottest 2022 head-coaching candidates, Quinn is completing his first season with the Cowboys, whose brass is said to “love” the dynamic 51-year-old and could “get aggressive” to retain his services, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported.
“How badly do the Cowboys want to hang on to Dan Quinn? From what I can gather, the Joneses love their first-year defensive coordinator,” Breer wrote on Monday, January 10. “And with teams sure to want to talk to him about their head coach openings the next few weeks, it’ll be interesting to see if Dallas gets aggressive in trying to find a way to keep Quinn around.”
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DQ Focused on ‘Kicking A**’ in Postseason
Say this for Quinn: he isn’t easily distracted. It would be simple (and quite understandable) to take his foot off the proverbial pedal with NFL organizations dangling a second stint under the big headset.
But Quinn, formerly the Atlanta Falcons’ head coach, reaffirmed once more that he’s not looking beyond Dallas’ playoff push, which begins Sunday, January 16 with a Wild Card home matchup versus San Francisco.
“There’s just simply nothing to report on from my end,” Quinn told reporters on January 10, via DallasCowboys.com. “When job changes happen and coaches are let go, it’s a difficult time for them and their families, the assistants, the team, everybody that goes into that. It’s nice to hear if someone is interested. That’s not lost on me. … But there’s really nothing to add on my end.
“There’s not a lot of time management or anything that has to go into mine other than kicking a** and being right where my feet are. Hopefully, we can just talk Niners today because that’s where my heart and my head are moving forward.”
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Moore Addressed HC Appeal, Too
Unlike his defensive counterpart, Moore opted to interview with Jacksonville and presumably will follow suit next week with the Broncos. He’s also likely to receive additional requests after head-coaching jobs opened in Minnesota, Chicago, and Miami.
The 33-year-old wunderkind, however, is parroting Quinn’s messaging on potential opportunities to jump ship, emerging from the shadow of HC Mike McCarthy and, before him, Jason Garrett.
“We’re just focused on this (playoffs) thing,” Moore said Monday, January 10, via DallasCowboys.com. “I’m smart enough to know that while I’m honored and feel very fortunate to be recognized in those conversations, you only get those when you’re around really good people and that’s what we have here. We have a really special group and a really special opportunity ahead of us.”