Jason Garrett releases statement following interview for Stanford head coach opening

As if this coaching cycle wasn’t crazy enough, a report from The Athletic said Stanford was in hot pursuit of former Dallas Cowboys coach-turned-NBC analyst Jason Garrett to replace David Shaw. It appears he’s staying put.

Garrett released a statement on Twitter about his trip to Stanford, thanking the Cardinal for the hospitality. However, he confirmed he’s planning to stay at NBC as an analyst on Football Night In America and as the color analyst for Notre Dame football games.

“Thanks so much to AD Bernard Muir and everyone at Stanford!” Garrett tweeted late Thursday. “While I enjoyed exploring a great opportunity at such a special place, I’m so excited to continue my work at NBC on Football Night in America and with Notre Dame Football!”

Despite never coaching at the collegiate level, this is the second consecutive offseason Garrett’s name has come up in a Power 5 coaching search. He was also rumored to be a candidate for the Duke job last season before it ultimately went to Mike Elko. But a return to the sidelines doesn’t seem to be in his immediate future.

After the news broke, Dak Prescott voiced his support for Garrett to take the Stanford job. Garrett coached Prescott from 2016-19 with the Cowboys, and the former Mississippi State star said his former coach would have been a great fit with the Cardinal.

“Big endorser of that,” Prescott said, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “I hope he gets it. I’m willing to talk to whoever I can to endorse him and talk about how great of a coach he is. I just think he’d be huge for a program like that that’s so prestigious.”

Following his playing days, Garrett took his first coaching job in the NFL as quarterbacks assistant coach under Nick Saban at Miami. After receiving an offer for the offensive coordinator job with the Cowboys, he moved up the staff until eventually taking the head job in 2010. He held that post until 2019 before a stint as the New York Giants offensive coordinator.

The David Shaw era at Stanford came to an abrupt end in late November. The program announced following their final game of the season that the longtime leader of the Cardinal is stepping down.

On3’s Nikki Chavanelle contributed to this report.