The Dallas Cowboys are in the market for a new defensive coordinator and owner Jerry Jones wants to make a “home run hire,” per Sports Illustrated’s Mike Fisher. This is how one anonymous owner described the Cowboys’ next move to replace Dan Quinn.
“Watch him,” the owner noted, per Fisher. “Jerry wants a home-run hire. He’s swinging for the fences here.”
It is hard to imagine more of a home run than landing former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll. The veteran coach is one of the select few to win a title in both college football and the NFL.
Carroll’s abrupt exit from Seattle did not appear to be mutual, and the coach has hinted about desiring to return to the sideline. For now, Carroll has an advisory role in Seattle, but the Seahawks have provided few details on what this actually entails.
Ex-Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll Was Among the Top-5 Paid Coaches of Any Sport at $15 Million Annually
Carroll was among the top five head coaches in any sport in 2023, per Sportico. The longtime coach was averaging a $15 million salary following a 2020 contract extension that was slated to stretch into 2025.
"Bill Belichick and Mike Vrabel are gonna have to sit down and decide exactly how they wanna approach the season..
Those two and Pete Carroll being out there could impact how teams handle their coaching situation" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/lAMkF5KQMS
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 1, 2024
This would put Carroll’s total contract value somewhere in the $90 million neighborhood. Yes, a lot less than a coordinator job would pay Carroll. Fisher labels Carroll as a name to watch if Jones truly wants to hit a “home run” with his next defensive coordinator.
“Carroll was just booted from his long-held perch in charge of the Seattle Seahawks, and says he wants to keep coaching,” Fisher wrote in a February 3, 2024 article titled, “Cowboys EXCLUSIVE: Jerry Plans ‘Home-Run Hire’ at Coach, ‘Swing For Fences’ – Anonymous NFL Owner.” “He has accomplished everything there is in football. Even at 72, there is no sign of any lack of energy.
“Wanna keep doing ‘Quinn-like’ things? Hiring Carroll would be reminiscent of the ’90’s Cowboys who replaced Norv Turner with his mentor, Ernie Zampeze. This would be a shocker – in a good way.”
Cowboys Rumors: Dallas Is Unlikely to Be Able to Lure Pete Carroll to Take the Defensive Coordinator Role
The obvious question is why Carroll would want to go from his decades of being a head coach back to becoming a coordinator. Carroll would seemingly have more to lose than gain in the demotion. Even if the Cowboys remained an elite unit, it is hard to imagine Carroll’s stock being any higher.
Pete Carroll, so you want to coach the #Seahawks again next season? “I do.”
Do you expect to coach the Seahawks next season?
He does. @thenewstribune pic.twitter.com/zdsguKNu6q
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) January 8, 2024
Conversely, if the unit did not perform well, then it would prove to hurt Carroll’s chances of landing another head coaching gig. The only way this makes sense is if Carroll is eager to coach next season, even if it is not as the one in charge.
Given Mike McCarthy is heading into the final year of his deal, could this role lead to an eventual head coaching promotion in 2025? Carroll admitted he is “open” to coaching again while adding that it will be challenging to find a landing spot that makes sense.
“I don’t know. I’ve got plenty of energy for it and thought and willingness, but I can’t imagine that there’s a place, the right one,” Carroll told Seattle Sports’ “Brock and Salk” during a January 11 interview. “I don’t know. I’m open to everything but I’m not holding my breath on that.
“There’s a lot of world out there, and I’m excited about challenging and going after it. If that happens, that happens. We’ll see. I really don’t know what to tell you about that yet.”
