Getty Cowboys owner Jerry Jones
Reading the tea leaves, Mike McCarthy stands to lose at least one assistant in the 2022 NFL head coach hiring cycle. If it’s not offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, it might be defensive boss Dan Quinn who’s plucked away by another team. The better the Dallas Cowboys‘ finish, the likelier their respective departure(s).
The rumor circulating within the Denver Broncos’ orbit in recent months has revolved around Quinn, who was named among a “short list” of rumored candidates to potentially succeed hot-seat HC Vic Fangio.
Also included on the list, released October 14 via Benjamin Allbright of KOA Radio, is former Cowboys head man and since-fired New York Giants OC Jason Garrett.
@JRDrafts @XanB21 @SayreBedinger If they move on from Fangio (which isn’t being discussed right now) the short list starts with Gannon, Scott Turner, Dan Quinn, Jason Garrett, Leslie Frazier, Darrell Bevell.
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A Quinn-Wilson Ticket?
Speculation holds that if Quinn were to defect Dallas for Denver, the architect of the famed Legion of Boom would recruit Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who reportedly is willing to waive his no-trade clause next offseason to facilitate a blockbuster trade. Wilson’s camp leaked the Broncos as a preferred destination along with the Chicago Bears and New York Giants.
“The rumor being that hiring Quinn to replace Fangio would also be a big recruiting tool to entice Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, who has a no-trade clause in his contract, to bring his talents to the Mile High City,” Erick Trickel of SI.com wrote on November 23. “With the no-trade clause, Denver would have to do everything it could in order to convince Wilson to wave it.
“This is why Quinn-to-Denver, despite it not being the type of young, offensive-minded coach most Broncos fans covet, makes a lot of sense. Quinn and Wilson are good friends, so do the math.”
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Feather in Quinn’s Coaching Cap
Many forget, because 28-3 happened, that Quinn ended his stint (2015-2020) as the Atlanta Falcons HC with a winning record both in the regular season (43-42) and the playoffs (3-2). That same segment believes the 51-year-old is better suited as an assistant, a bigger fish in a smaller pond.
There’s some validity to the argument considering Quinn’s impressive work revolutionizing Dallas’ defense, the league’s seventh-ranked scoring unit, surrendering 20.9 points per game. He’s coaxed a Pro Bowl season out of cornerback Trevon Diggs, a Defensive Rookie/Player of the Year campaign from first-round linebacker/defensive end/edge rusher Micah Parsons, and even captained the club to a Week 13 victory over the Saints with McCarthy then on the COVID-19 list. Tom Landry incarnate.
At this rate, the Cowboys cruising to a division title, it’s naive to think Quinn won’t get another shot as an organization’s leader of men. It’s an eventuality — and his employers are bracing for outside promotion.
“Well, you always want to keep guys that are helping you have success, but at the same time we know that’s part of this business,” Dallas vice president Stephen Jones said during an October 21 interview on 96.7 The Ticket, via Blogging The Boys.
“We got guys on our staff who can step up if they happen to get the opportunity they really want as a head coach, then you certainly embrace that for them.”