Cowboys DC Dan Quinn could stay put if he doesn’t land an HC job
Mike McCarthy's future in Dallas is known, but what's unclear is if he'll have Dan Quinn with him in 2024.
The Cowboys' defensive coordinator is in the midst of five head coach interviews this week, ESPN reported. If Quinn isn't selected for any of those five jobs, he's expected to remain with the Cowboys, according to the report.
Quinn spoke with the Panthers and the Titans on Wednesday. He'll reportedly talk with the Commanders and Seahawks on Thursday before interviewing with the Chargers on Friday.
Of those five teams, Seattle is the destination Quinn has been linked to the most. He originally came to prominence during a two-year stint as Seahawks defensive coordinator in 2013-14, helping them win a Super Bowl and reach another. Quinn was viewed as a strong candidate to replace Pete Carroll as soon as the longtime coach moved into an advisory role last week.
Quinn became the Falcons' head coach in 2015 and led Atlanta to the Super Bowl in 2016 and to the playoffs in 2017. But after two subsequent losing seasons and an 0-5 start in 2020, Quinn was fired by the Falcons.
A few months after his dismissal, Quinn joined McCarthy's staff in Dallas. Quinn's defenses with the Cowboys have improved in each of the past three years, ranking fifth in total defense this season.
But the Dallas defense was torched in the team's wild-card loss to the Packers on Sunday. The Cowboys gave up 415 yards and the defense was responsible for allowing 41 points in the 48-32 loss.
Despite the blowout upset at home, the Cowboys announced Wednesday that they would keep McCarthy as their head coach for the 2024 season.
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"I believe this team is very close and capable of achieving our ultimate goals and the best step forward for us will be with Mike McCarthy as our head coach," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement. "There is great benefit to continuing the team's progress under Mike's leadership as our head coach. Specifically, there are many layers of success that have occurred this season as a result of Mike's approach to leading the team, both with individual players and with our team collectively.
"Mike has the highest regular season winning percentage of any head coach in Cowboys history, and we will dedicate ourselves — in partnership with him — to translating that into reaching our postseason goals. Certainly, Mike's career has demonstrated postseason success at a high level, and we have great confidence that can continue."
Jones didn't address the future of Quinn in his statement.
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