Cowboys hiring Brian Schottenheimer shows Jerry Jones’ priority is his own power

The Jerry Jones’ Dallas Cowboys move differently than the rest of the NFL’s 31 teams. They’re “all in” on “getting it done with less.” 

Dallas parted ways with head coach Mike McCarthy after five seasons, and then Jones decided to promote McCarthy’s offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to be the Cowboys’ next head coach . Jones did so despite Schottenheimer not calling the plays in each of his last two seasons as the team’s OC since that was a responsibility McCarthy famously retook after Kellen Moore departed to be the Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator in 2023.

Jones, who is now 82-years-old, has indicated with his actions that he prefers comfort and profit margins over a true “all in” pursuit of another Super Bowl. The Cowboys have spent the fewest amount of money on free agents, $20.47 million per OverTheCap.com, since the conclusion of last season’s Super Bowl, and Dallas signed Schottenheimer, a first-time NFL head coach, to a four-year deal that will likely be one the league’s lowest in compensation given the unique circumstances around Schottenheimer’s promotion. The Cowboys notably didn’t interview any of the NFL’s top candidates this hiring cycle including: former Lions OC/now-Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson, now-New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, former Lions DC/now-New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn (a former Cowboys corner), Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, six-time Super Bowl head coach Bill Belichick or Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. Dallas interviewed four candidates before settling on their current offensive coordinator down the hall. No other team attempted to interview Schottenheimer this hiring cycle, so the 51-year-old didn’t have any real leverage when hammering out the specifics of his new deal.  

However, Jones gets to say he prioritized continuity for quarterback Dak Prescott, the 2023 NFL MVP runner-up who Jones made the league’s highest-paid player by waiting until hours before Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns to re-sign to a four-year, $240 million extension. In reality, Jones valued providing continuity for himself in hiring someone already in his building. Schottenheimer does have 12 years of offensive play-calling experience as an offensive coordinator with the New York Jets (2006-2011), Rams (2012-2014) and Seattle Seahawks (2018-2020). He spent the 2021 season as the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator for first overall pick quarterback Trevor Lawrence on Urban Meyer’s Jacksonville Jaguars staff before crash-landing in Dallas as a consultant in 2022. 

Brian Schottenheimer as OC and offensive play-caller

It’s fair to wonder if Jones’ lack of investment in free agency last offseason had to do with not wanting to fully commit to McCarthy as a lame duck while he was working on extensions for Prescott and All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. Now, it’s clear taking the comfortable route instead of the one involving the effort of bringing in external, more expensive help is the way the Cowboys operate now. Three-time All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons attempted to prevent this operating procedure in 2025 by kicking off his extension negotiations with Jones on Jan. 10 in the owner’s suite at the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal. Parsons is pushing to get his deal done ASAP so that Jones can maneuver around the salary cap to add more pieces and depth around himself, Prescott and Lamb in an effort to avoid another season ravaged by injury in 2025. 

What Jones showed by hiring Schottenheimer is that his Cowboys are going to continue down the road they have traveled most since Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Jimmy Johnson’s departure in 1994: his way or the highway. He said as much himself after the team’s Week 18 defeat against the Washington Commanders that ran their record to 7-10. Jones declared he bought the Cowboys to run them his way for life. The hiring of Schottenheimer is even more evidence of this reality: Jones the owner being “all in” on Jones the general manager. 

“No, no,” Jones said postgame in Week 18 when asked if he would consider giving anyone else the title of Cowboys general manager. “I bought the team. I think the first thing that came out of my mouth, anybody here that was at that press conference? OK, somebody asked ‘did you buy this for your kids?’ I said, ‘Hell no. I bought it for me, and I didn’t buy an investment. I bought an occupation. I bought something I was going to do. I was 46. I bought something that I was going to do for the rest of my life, and that’s what I’m doing.’ So no, the facts are that since I have to decide where the money is spent, then you might as well cut all the bullshit out. That’s who’s making the call anyway.”