Is Cowboys coach Jason Garrett getting contract extended soon?
Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett is in the final year of his contract. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones indicated that a deal to extend the eighth head coach in franchise history could come soon.
"First of all, I was looking at his agreement the other day, and we're actually operating with the same agreement, same piece of paper that we were operating with about seven years ago," Jones said on 105.3 The Fan [KRLD-FM] on Friday.
Seven years ago, the Cowboys signed Garrett to a $3 million-per-year deal to slap the assistant head coach label on his current title of offensive coordinator. Garrett was promoted to interim head coach on Nov. 15, 2010, after the firing of Wade Phillips. On Jan. 5, 2011, three days after the season finale, Jones promoted Garrett to full time head coach.
With the past three head coaches, including Garrett, Jones has waited until the week after the season's end to announce extensions.
In 2005, Bill Parcells was in the final year of his contract, which was a subject of discussion as Dallas was in the playoff hunt. After the Cowboys failed to reach the postseason after a 20-10 loss to St. Louis on Jan. 1, 2006, Parcells was extended the following Friday to a deal that would keep him Dallas through 2007. Parcells departed after the 2006 season.
Phillips was entering the final year of his deal in 2009. Speculation abounded that another early playoff exit would result in his not being retained. However, Phillips led the Cowboys to a playoff win over the Philadelphia Eagles, but were demolished by the Minnesota Vikings 34-3 the following week. By the end of the week after the loss, Phillips had an extension that would take him through the 2011 season, though he didn't make it through the 2010 campaign.
Jones is pleased with the climb Garrett has made in his four full seasons as the Cowboys head coach.
"To think of all the things and the ups and downs and the expenses and think of all the experiences he's had from a coaching perspective with players that have been learning experiences for him," Jones said. "It's daylight and dark."
Dallas plays Green Bay Sunday in the second game of the NFC Divisional Playoffs. A win Sunday would make Garrett just the first head coach in franchise history to win back-to-back playoff games in his first postseason trip.
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