The Dallas Cowboys announced their much anticipated defensive coordinator hire on Monday with veteran coach Mike Zimmer taking on the role. Even though the move was widely expected, there was a decent amount of controversy involved.

Rex Ryan, who was also interviewed for the position, had said on Sunday that the Zimmer deal wasn’t done, despite the widespread reporting. Then, NFL insider Adam Schefter confirmed this by saying that there was a complication with the Zimmer hiring and that Ryan was back in play.

It turns out the complication was nothing out of the ordinary. It was just a scheduling issue that slowed down the contract talks.

Jerry Jones’ Travel Plans Held Up the Mike Zimmer Deal

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was in Las Vegas for the Super Bowl over the weekend. According to Michael Gehlken of Dallas Morning News, this was the reason the hire wasn’t made official earlier. Zimmer’s standing as the defensive coordinator was allegedly never in doubt.

Mike Zimmer is expected to be in Dallas this week, officially joining the Cowboys as their new defensive coordinator, two people familiar with situation said. Jerry Jones was in Las Vegas for Super Bowl. That slowed contract talks but didn’t change Zimmer’s standing as DC pick.

— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) February 12, 2024

Ryan’s statements are understandable as he was vying for the same position. However, this raises questions about Schefter’s reporting.

Zimmer has previously worked for Jones when he was a defensive assistant and the defensive coordinator for the Cowboys between 1994 and 2006. The two have a ton of mutual respect for one another and Zimmer was long considered to be the frontrunner to be Dan Quinn’s replacement. Considering that the 67-year-old was returning to coaching after two years, specifically for this opportunity, it was his job to lose.

Fortunately for Cowboys fans, both sides were able to get this deal done. Better late than never.