Since the disappointing end of the 2021 season for the Dallas Cowboys, questions around the coaching staff have been prevalent. Jerry Jones is weighing the options even after a 12-5 season, but he and executive VP Stephen continue to publicly support Mike McCarthy.
The newest rumblings of the franchise come after Sean Payton stepped down from New Orleans after 16 years, which has led to an avalanche of speculation. Payton was the assistant head coach for Dallas from 2003-2005 before becoming head coach of the New Orleans Saints. Since then, Payton won Super Bowl XLIV and totaled 10 winning seasons.
Now that Payton is opening his future, the Cowboys could enter the conversation to acquire the coach. That might be a while from now, but Payton is wasting no time giving his coaching tips to the team.
Payton recently appeared on The Dan Patrick Show where he was asked to pretend he was a TV analyst and explain how the Chiefs got a game-tying field goal in 13 seconds.
“Then ask me about the end of the Cowboys game, and let me see if I can do this better,” Payton responded, prompting Patrick to ask, “What did the Cowboys do wrong in the situation?”
Here’s what he had to say:
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“Well, look, they’re trying to get in touchdown range, and they ran a draw,” Payton said. “We would typically throw a pass and down, down. Ultimately, I think two more steps for Dak. He’s got to slide a little quicker. He’s up, and the ball has to go to the umpire. And then, let’s go. We can never hand the ball to the center.” [via The Dan Patrick Show]
Right now, McCarthy faces an ultimatum after an underperforming season and the ice might already be cracking under his feet. If he doesn’t get it done during the 2022 season, you’d have to believe that Jones will send him packing and do whatever he can to get Payton back into coaching and signed to his team.
With that said, if Dallas underperforms next season and Jones wants to acquire Payton, it’ll have to be through a trade. In 2019, Tampa Bay traded a sixth-round pick for Bruce Arians and a seventh-round selection then signed Arians to a four-year contract.
The Cowboys would have to perform something similar to acquire Payton as his contract holds through 2024.
