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Jerry Jones needs to lockdown his coaching staff but that could be problematic.
Now that the Dallas Cowboys season is over, the organization must address its coaching staff. It's well-known that Jason Garrett was coaching in the last year of his contract and that once the season ended, he would essentially be a free agent. It is generally assumed by everyone, including the rest of the NFL, that Jason and Jerry Jones will come to terms on a contract that will make Garrett the Cowboys coach for a while and it will likely pay him big bucks. There is no way Jones would want to risk losing Garrett to someone else now that the team has turned a corner, thus giving Garrett some nice leverage. But in general, no one seems to be concerned with Garrett leaving. Notice the lack of his name being connected in any way with other teams' open head coaching positions.
The Cowboys assistant coaches are another matter. It has long been assumed that Bucaneers coach Lovie Smith would be interested in having Rod Marinelli back as his defensive coordinator. They tried last season but Dallas would not let Marinelli out of his contract. This time is different, Marinelli is a free agent, and we know about his famous loyalty and friendship with Smith. As good as Marinelli was for the Cowboys season, Jerry Jones should try everything in his power to keep Marinelli. But Marinelli is one of a small minority of coaches who doesn't seem like he would be swayed by a big contract. There might be nothing Dallas can do.
Another guy who is apparently sought after is Bill Callahan. Ed Werder tweets:
Jerry Jones called Jason Garrett his Coach of Year. Now Garrett and top assistants all free agents. Bill Callahan has interest from 6 teams
— Ed Werder (@Edwerderespn) January 12, 2015
As frustrated as Cowboys fans were with Callahan's play-calling from a year ago, his work with the offensive line has been top-notch. The Cowboys line is now considered one of the best in the league, and that's not all just about talent. It's about coaching, too. Callahan wanted to leave after being stripped of play-calling last year, the Cowboys said no. This time, Callahan gets to decide. If some team offers him a good deal, he could definitely walk. That would be too bad for Dallas.
Then there is the case of Scott Linehan. Could he get a shot at an open head coaching position? So far, we've only heard that Oakland may want to talk to him. We'll probably find out for sure if they do over the next couple of days. He hasn't been rumored for any of the others, yet.
Jerry's got a lot of work to do (along with son Stephen).
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