Dallas Cowboys

Former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero that his options are open after his time with the team came to an end this week.

The 68-year-old Zimmer joined Dallas as its defensive coordinator this season under former Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, whose five-year contract expired on Tuesday. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has already announced that the team will be looking for a new head coach.

Zimmer arrived in Dallas to replace ex-defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who is now the Washington Commanders' head coach.

Zimmer began coaching in the NFL with the Cowboys in 1994, working as a defensive assistant. He was a defensive backs coach from 1995-1999 and then the team's defensive coordinator from 2000-2006.

He served as the Atlanta Falcons' defensive coordinator (2007) and then the Cincinnati Bengals' DC (2008-2013) before becoming the Minnesota Vikings' head coach (2014-2021). Under Zimmer, the Vikings went 72-56-1, making the playoffs three times and winning the NFC North twice. The team's high point was 2017, when Minnesota went 13-3 and reached the NFC Championship Game.

Zimmer returned to his old defensive coordinator post in Dallas in 2024. It was a rough season for the team, which allowed the second-most points in the NFL (468). The Cowboys allowed the fifth-most yards per play. Dallas went 7-10 and missed the playoffs by four games.

Still, Zimmer sports an impressive resume, and he's clearly put his name out there for interested teams. ESPN's Jeff Darlington did previously report that Zimmer is contemplating retirement, but if the right opportunity shows up, he could very well be back calling defensive shots next year.

Dak Prescott played for Mike McCarthy for five seasons and helped the Dallas Cowboys reach the playoffs three times alongside the head coach, but the quarterback was left wanting more.

"Bummed, because we built some things," he told Clarence Hill of ALL DLLS (h/t Charean Williams of NBC Sports) after the Cowboys announced they parted ways with McCarthy. "But I guess they couldn't reach an agreement."

Dallas' success under McCarthy largely coincided with Prescott's health.

The team went 6-10 in 2020 during the coach's first year in large part because the quarterback was limited to just five games. However, he remained healthy for much of the next three campaigns as the Cowboys went 12-5 in each year.

Yet Prescott played just eight games in 2024 as the NFC East club dealt with inconsistency on the way to a 7-10 record.

Dallas failed to advance past the NFC Divisional Round during McCarthy's tenure and went 1-3 in playoff games. Had it found more success in those contests, he would likely still be the team's head coach as it focuses on upcoming offseason moves.

Instead, he is being connected to the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints after his exit.

The question now is who will take over as the head coach in Dallas.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders told ESPN's Adam Schefter he spoke with team owner Jerry Jones and called the potential opportunity "intriguing" even though he reiterated he is the coach of the Buffaloes and loves his current position.

Whether it is Sanders or someone else, keeping Prescott healthy will be key if the Cowboys are going to live up to expectations.

Dallas Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb made his opinion known in a small way after the team was linked with Colorado head coach Deion Sanders.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz pointed out that Lamb "liked" an Instagram post regarding Sanders' conversation with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones about their coaching vacancy.

Sanders retired after the 2005 season. Players in the league now may have little to no recollection of him suiting up in the NFL, including the period when he cemented himself as one of the greatest cornerbacks in history.

Still, the 57-year-old maintains a massive profile within the sport, a fact that was driven home with how much attention has been paid to Colorado football since his arrival there.

Particularly among current and former Cowboys players and the team's fanbase, Sanders will be a popular pick after playing five seasons there.

Whether it's the Cowboys or somewhere else, the Hall of Famer would immediately command the respect of the locker room. Colorado going 9-4 after losing eight of its last nine games in 2023 also shifted the conversation about his coaching abilities as well.

That's not to say Sanders would be a home run hire for Dallas. There's a clear difference between the college and pro games from a coaching perspective, and a reunion between Sanders and Jones, two men with big personalities, has the potential to implode.

News of Mike McCarthy's exit as head coach only surfaced Monday, so the Cowboys are just kicking off their coaching search. To the extent he's a genuine candidate for the job, Sanders is likely one of many names who will be vetted by the organization.

The coming days should reveal how serious this possibility is.

While most of the attention is going to be on Deion Sanders for the Dallas Cowboys' vacant head-coaching position, Jerry Jones is expected to look at other options from the college ranks.

Per ESPN's Dan Graziano, USC's Lincoln Riley, Texas' Steve Sarkisian, Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman and Iowa State's Matt Campbell are among the college coaches people around the NFL are expecting the Cowboys to at least check in on to gauge their interest.

Jones announced on Monday that Mike McCarthy wouldn't return as head coach in 2025 after five seasons as head coach.

Hours after that announcement, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reported Jones had a conversation with Sanders about the Cowboys' job and talks were expected to continue as they also interview other candidates.

Sanders told ESPN's Adam Schefter it was "truly delightful" to speak with Jones, but he's still focused on his current job at Colorado.

Freeman, who has led Notre Dame to the College Football Playoff Championship Game, has become an attractive candidate to NFL teams. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported on Sunday the Chicago Bears want to interview him.

Schefter noted on The Pat McAfee Show that Freeman is "happy" with his current job at Notre Dame, but Sarkisian's name "has swirled around" league circles for weeks if he wants to leave Texas.

Riley's NFL prospects are hard to pin down because he's really struggled since leaving Oklahoma for USC. He went 55-10 in five seasons with the Sooners, but is just 26-14 in three years at USC.

Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated noted in November that Riley wasn't generating much "excitement" from NFL teams.

Campbell just led Iowa State to a single-season program record 11 wins and an appearance in the Big 12 Championship Game this season. He's a four-time conference Coach of the Year, including three times in the Big 12 and once in the MAC.

Sarkisian is the only member of this group with previous experience working in the NFL. He was a quarterbacks coach for the Oakland Raiders in 2004 and spent two seasons as offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons from 2017 to '18.

The Cowboys are looking for a new head coach after a disappointing 7-10 record this season. They have a good roster foundation in place led by Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons to build around.

McCarthy went 49-35 with three playoff appearances and two NFC East titles during his tenure in Dallas.

Deion Sanders said he still needs to "think about" the "intriguing" conversation with Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones regarding the possibility of leaving Colorado to become the Cowboys' next head coach.

"To hear from Jerry Jones is truly delightful, and it's intriguing," Sanders said Monday, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. "I love Jerry and believe in Jerry. After you hang up, and process it, and think about it, it's intriguing. But I love Boulder and everything there is about our team, the coaches, our student body and the community."

On Monday, the Cowboys announced they were parting ways with head coach Mike McCarthy.

Before hanging up his cleats, Sanders won a Super Bowl with the Cowboys in 1995. He's now the head coach at Colorado, where he turned the team from an also-ran into a powerhouse in only two years. However, he's now facing a transitional period, as both of his sons (Shedeur and Shilo) along with other standout athletes like Travis Hunter are set to leave the Buffaloes and enter the NFL draft.

Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who was Sanders' defensive backs coach during his five seasons in Dallas from 1995 to 1999, expressed his belief in November that Sanders was not looking to leave Colorado anytime soon.

"Deion and I are obviously really good friends, and we talk weekly probably, but I'm not going to speculate on any jobs or anything like that because I don't think that's right," Zimmer said in November per, CBS Sports Garrett Podell. "I know that he's told me many times that he's really happy at Colorado. He likes it there. Obviously, they've done a great job. Trying to watch his games each and every week that I can to give him some tidbits and go from there."

Jones has been a fan of what Sanders has accomplished at Colorado since the beginning, often praising his exceptional abilities as a recruiter.

"One of his greatest skills, that he really brings to college, is that he almost has no peer as far as being a recruiter," Jones said in November on 105.3 The Fan." "Kids want to come play for him. And he has a way of selling that. That is one skill, that recruiting skill, that is not a huge prerequisite for NFL coaches. One of his greatest values is in that area of putting the team together and getting great talent to come play for him there at Colorado."

While Sanders and the Cowboys have not held a formal interview, there is "mutual interest" between the two, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz.

A Dallas Cowboys legend disputed the idea that the head coach of his former team should be considered a coveted job following Mike McCarthy's departure.

On Monday Night Countdown, Troy Aikman said it's inaccurate to call the Cowboys head coaching job coveted.

As far as a coveted job, I don't know that that's accurate," Aikman said (1:10 mark). "I mean I do think the Cowboys are obviously a high-profile team. Whoever is coaching that team is certainly going to draw a lot of attention, but I think most football people that take over as a head coach, they want to do it on their terms. That's hard to do. Take Dan Campbell for example. Is Dan Campbell Dan Campbell if he's with the Dallas Cowboys? It's hard to imagine that he is. It's hard to imagine that a lot of these coaches might be. I love the Dallas Cowboys, I played there for 12 years, I wish them well, but to say that it's a coveted job, I'm not sure I would necessarily agree with that.

It's fair to say that the Cowboys' coaching job is one of the most high-profile gigs in the NFL, but that might not make it a "coveted" job.

Aikman referenced Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell, who turned his team into a Super Bowl contender in just a few years. If Campbell had the same early struggles in Detroit in Dallas, he might not have made it to his third season when the Lions reached the NFC Championship.

The Cowboys have high expectations for their head coach, which is understandable given the franchise's success, but those expectations could lead to the coaching job being less desirable than it once was.

Of course, the job is at least desirable enough to reportedly spark the interest of a high-profile candidate like Colorado's Deion Sanders.

The Dallas Cowboys have a high-profile name as an early candidate for their vacant head coaching job.

Per Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has spoken to Colorado head coach Deion Sanders about the vacancy, and those conversations are "expected to continue regarding the possibility of him becoming the next head coach in Dallas."

Schultz noted that while Sanders and the Cowboys haven't had a formal interview, "there is mutual interest."

According to Schultz, Sanders is "considered a top candidate" but Dallas will go through the process of interviewing other candidates.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport also reported that Sanders has "some interest" in the job and the Cowboys "have at least some interest, as well."

Sanders told ESPN's Adam Schefter that hearing from Jones was "delightful" and "intriguing" but made no indication that he plans to leave Colorado.

"To hear from Jerry Jones is truly delightful, and it's intriguing," Sanders said. "I love Jerry and believe in Jerry. After you hang up, and process it, and think about it, it's intriguing. But I love Boulder and everything there is about our team, the coaches, our student body and the community."

Jones announced Monday that former coach Mike McCarthy would not return as head coach next season. McCarthy's contract expired last week, but he was in an exclusive negotiating window with the Cowboys until Tuesday at midnight.

Sanders has never held an NFL coaching job but has found success at the collegiate level. He led Jackson State to a 27-6 record with a pair of SWAC titles during his three years with the team before taking over at Colorado last year.

He inherited a Colorado team that went 1-11 the season before his arrival. The Buffaloes improved slightly in his first year at the helm, finishing 4-8, but took a major leap in 2024. Colorado finished 9-4 this season and was an upset loss to Kansas away from competing for a Big 12 title and perhaps punching a ticket to the College Football Playoff.

Sanders' second year also saw two-way star Travis Hunter win the Heisman Trophy, making him the second player in Buffaloes history to take home the coveted award.

Now Sanders could have a difficult choice to make if he's offered the job in Dallas. He could have the chance to lead his former team back to glory, but it would come at the cost of having to leave behind what he has built in Boulder.

Even if Sanders is offered the job, his recent comments would leave fans to believe he has no interest in it. Just last week during an appearance on Good Morning America, Sanders said it would take unique circumstances to draw him to the NFL.

"The only way I would consider is to coach my sons. Not son. Sons," Sanders said. "I love Colorado, I love my Buffaloes, I love everything that we're building, I love everything that we're doing and I love Boulder, Colorado."

The odds of a team having both of his sons are pretty unrealistic, but there is a world where the Cowboys could at least get star quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

Shedeur, who had an outstanding collegiate career and is now preparing for the NFL draft, is more than likely going to be one of the first quarterbacks off the board, meaning Dallas, which has the No. 12 pick, would likely have to trade up to draft him.

If the Cowboys are serious about getting Sanders to the Cowboys, figuring out a way to get Sheduer to Dallas could be their best selling point.

Mike McCarthy is out as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Who will be his successor?

Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Monday that "in speaking with various people with knowledge of what could be on the table for the Cowboys in the coming weeks, along with connecting early dots, here are some names to keep an eye on as the process now kicks into high gear."

He then listed Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, former NFL head coach Jon Gruden, former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, former Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson, Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, former NFL head coach Pete Carroll and Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin as potential candidates.

Harris noted that he believes Moore is the "early leader" for the Cowboys' vacancy. The 36-year-old not only played for the Cowboys in his NFL career, he also served as the team's quarterbacks coach in 2018 and offensive coordinator between 2019-22 before stints with the Los Angeles Chargers (2023) and Eagles (2024) as the offensive coordinator.

One interesting note on Moore's coaching stint in Dallas was that he was kept on the staff after Jason Garrett was fired and McCarthy was hired. Coordinators don't often survive coaching changes.

Gruden, 61, was the head coach for the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders in two separate stints (1998-01; 2018-21) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, going 117-112 with five playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title. He resigned midseason in 2021 after anti-gay, racist and misogynistic emails he wrote over a 10-year period were leaked publicly. He would be a splashy but controversial hire.

Witten, 42, was an 11-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro selection in his NFL career, spending 16 of his 17 NFL seasons with the Cowboys. He has no NFL coaching experience but has won two state titles as the head coach at Liberty Christian High School in Argyle, Texas. He's a favorite in Dallas, but his lack of NFL coaching experience would make him a very risky hire.

Pederson, 56, is 64-66-1 in stints with the Philadelphia Eagles (2016-20) and Jacksonville Jaguars (2022-24), with four playoff berths and a Super Bowl title to his name. The Jaguars limped to a 4-13 record in 2024, however, and Pederson has only recorded one campaign with more than nine regular-season wins in his coaching career.

Kingsbury, 45, was the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals between the 2019-22 seasons, going 28-37-1 with one playoff berth. He also served as the head coach at Texas Tech (2013-18) and the offensive coordinator for the Commanders, working with quarterbacks like Johnny Manziel, Baker Mayfield, Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray and Jayden Daniels in his career. He's been considered a bright offensive mind during his coaching career.

Carroll, 73, is a coaching legend, having won by a national championship as the head coach of the USC Trojans and a Super Bowl title with the Seattle Seahawks. In his NFL career he's accumulated a 170-120-1 record with 12 playoff berths. There are questions about his age and whether such an accomplished coach would be able to coexist with the hands-on approach of team owner Jerry Jones, however.

Finally, the 49-year-old Kiffin has had a glow-up in recent years as the offensive coordinator for Alabama (2014-16) and head coach at Florida Atlantic (2017-19) and Ole Miss (2020-present). He had a meteoric rise in the coaching ranks earlier in his career, earning jobs as the head coach of the Raiders (2007-08) and USC Trojans (2010-13), but both ended poorly.

Bill Belichick "could be near the top" of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' list of desired head coaching candidates, according to CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones.

"Belichick and Jones have had a good relationship over the decades, and sources last month indicated Belichick had interest in the Dallas job should it come open," Jones wrote.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported on Monday that Mike McCarthy won't return as the Cowboys' head coach in 2025 after the two sides couldn't reach an agreement on a new contract.

After Belichick's legendary tenure with the New England Patriots came to an end following the 2023 season, he signed a five-year deal to become North Carolina's new head coach on Dec. 11.

Despite his current status with the Tar Heels, a move back to the NFL can still occur.

Jones noted Monday that Belichick has a $10 million buyout if he were to leave North Carolina, which drops to $1 million after June 1.

The 72-year-old's openness to moving on from the Tar Heels will be a factor if he's considered for the Cowboys' job, as Dianna Russini of The Athletic revealed that he has "no plans" to return to the NFL.

Dallas could be patient in its head coaching search even if it isn't able to land Belichick.

Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reported that the Cowboys are prohibited from speaking to Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, two of the top available coaching options, until after the end of Detroit's season due to the timing of letting McCarthy leave.

After three consecutive 12-5 seasons, the Cowboys missed the playoffs in 2024 with a 7-10 record. They were hampered by injuries on both sides of the ball and particularly struggled on defense, allowing 355.2 yards and 27.5 points per game.

If Dallas is searching for a defensive-minded coach with plenty of experience, it's easy to see why the team would show interest in Belichick.