NFL insider reveals support Brian Schottenheimer received from Jerry Jones, Dak Prescott during hiring process

The Dallas Cowboys promoted offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer on Friday, signing him to a four-year deal to become the team’s next head coach.

Dallas’ hire came as a surprise to many as the Cowboys initially hired Schottenheimer as a consultant in 2022. He moved up to offensive coordinator in Feb. 2023, where in his first season as OC the Cowboys averaged 371.6 yards per game, the fifth-most in the NFL. Based on those numbers, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler explained why this move isn’t as surprising to those behind the scenes in Dallas.

“[Schottenheimer] had a lot of support in the building, not just with Jerry Jones,” Fowler said on SportsCenter Saturday morning. “People at the top really value the relationship they built with Brian Schottenheimer. And the sense around the league is that this is a Dak Prescott hire. Dak Prescott likes Schottenheimer in the offense and the chemistry they have together. He likes the continuity that he brings. So it’s kind of just running it back in a lot of ways.”

Fowler noted that Mike McCarthy, who spent five seasons as the head coach of the Cowboys, would have still been the team’s coach if the two parties had found common ground on the number of years on a new contract. They couldn’t, and the Cowboys head coaching search began.

They didn’t have to look far despite setting up multiple interviews with potential candidates and significant names like Deion Sanders getting thrown into the mix.

“Schottenheimer stays in-house, and there is shock around the league that he somehow rose to the top here despite some other qualified candidates, like Kellen Moore,” Fowler continued. “The stage was set for him to get this job. He really wanted this job, and here he is. He didn’t work out.

“A lot of surprise, but that doesn’t mean he can’t do well.”

Fowler noted that Schottenheimer and the Cowboys have already begun trying to build his inaugural staff. The recent Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, who was fired mid-season, is rumored to be in contention for the defensive coordinator job.

Eberflus was the Cowboys’ linebackers coach from 2011-15 while simultaneously serving as a passing game coordinator during his final two years with the team.

Obviously, they will also set out to find a new offensive coordinator to replace Schottenheimer’s old post.