The Dallas Cowboys are hiring Brian Schottenheimer as their new head coach.
The offensive coordinator has been chosen by owner Jerry Jones as the man to replace Mike McCarthy. It will be his first head coaching job in the NFL.
‘Brian Schottenheimer is known as a career assistant,’ Jones said. ‘He ain’t Brian no more. He is now known as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.’
The 51-year-old Schottenheimer, son of the late NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer, joined the Dallas staff as a consultant in 2022 and held the offensive coordinator title the past two seasons while McCarthy was the play-caller.
McCarthy and the Cowboys parted ways earlier this month after his initial five-year contract with the club expired. He then interviewed with Chicago, but the Bears hired Ben Johnson instead.
The Cowboys interviewed Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, former Jets head coach Robert Saleh, former Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier and had a conversation with Colorado’s Deion Sanders.
The Dallas Cowboys are hiring Brian Schottenheimer as their new head coach
The offensive coordinator has been chosen by Jerry Jones to replace Mike McCarthy
It leaves just one head coach opening in the NFL: New Orleans Saints.
Schottenheimer will be officially introduced as the Cowboys head coach on Monday.
Reports suggest he has already started to form his coaching staff in Dallas with fired Bears coach Matt Eberflus a leading candidate for the defensive coordinator position.
While many other teams are hiring exciting names to lead their franchise, fans have slammed Jones and the Cowboys since links to Schottenheimer emerged.
Fox’s Colin Cowherd even claimed controversial owner Jones is ‘lost at sea’.
In a three-minute monologue on his show, Cowherd said: ‘We are watching the fall of a great American institution. He’s not even interviewing for other jobs.
‘Never been a head coach, never been a top candidate for a head coach. He’s bounced around the league, dad was a legend… nice guy, but 7-10 football teams don’t move off a coach and then hire the offensive coordinator who didn’t call plays.’
On social media, fans concurred, with one joking: ‘Say what you want, but the Cowboys hiring Brian Schottenheimer would be electric. As in, that’s what my tub is about to be once I drop the toaster in.’
Schottenheimer has been in charge of the offense led by Dak Prescott in recent seasons
Another wrote: ‘If Jerry actually promotes Brian Schottenheimer to head coach, my wallet is staying on strike. No tickets, no Cowboys gear, no tailgating, no looking forward to training camp, nothing. Being a Cowboys fan is becoming a test of endurance.’
One more added: ‘Is Jerry awake? If he gets hired, count me out for the 2025 Cowboys.’
Schottenheimer has bounced around the NFL during his coaching career, beginning as an assistant in 1997 with the St Louis Rams.
He has been OC with the Jets, Rams, Seahawks and Cowboys – and in college with Georgia – while also dropping down to become QBs coach with the Colts and Redskins.
His father Marty is a Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Famer who won NFL Coach of the Year in 2004 with the Chargers, and spent nine years in charge at Arrowhead.