Will McClay explains remaining with Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys lost in the first round of the playoffs but shortly after the end of the season, Jerry Jones & Co. managed to score a big win for the front office. Long-time vice president of player personnel Will McClay decided to stay with Dallas, despite interest from teams to bring him on as a general manager.

The former senior director of scouting is back at the Senior Bowl for the Cowboys this week, where he spoke to reporters about his decision to remain in his role for at least one more season.

“You set a goal, and one of my goals is to be a part of winning a Super Bowl here with the Cowboys,” McClay said, via DallasCowboys.com. “We’ve built something great. We’ve got a great staff – the coaching staff and the organization. There’s nothing like winning one at home, and that’s truly the goal.”

Dallas received requests to interview McClay from the Commanders, as well as the Chargers, but he has opted to stay, at least until his son graduates high school next year. This wasn’t the first time teams have tried pulling him away from the Joneses.

The Cowboys’ front office exec has been with the team since 2009 and moved up in ranks from director of player personnel to senior director of pro/college scouting, and finally VP of player personnel. He took over the VP role in 2017 and has overseen the team’s draft processes ever since.

Cowboys resetting for “all-in” year

After the disappointing end to the 2023 season, McClay is eager to “reset” and make some additions to the roster. The offensive line and linebackers rooms are two areas that could use a boost this offseason.

“This is the time you really get to reset it,” McClay said. “Everybody wants to be playing in the Super Bowl, but we’re going to try and get back and rally to get there next year. It’s a really important time to get to know these guys and see what we can bring to the team.”

“We didn’t win the championship, so we gotta get better at every position,” he added. “We want to see the growth from our young players. We want to see our veteran players bring us along where we need to and we gotta find those young guys you can bring in and make sure we build the team all the way through.”

As it stands the Cowboys have five picks in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft. They have No. 24 in the first round, No. 56 overall in the second round, No. 87 overall in the third round and picks No. 230 and 241 in the seventh round.

They don’t currently own any picks in rounds four through six due to previous deals. A fourth-round pick went to the 49ers for quarterback Trey Lance. They also sent a 2024 fifth-rounder to Kansas City to move up for cornerback Eric Scott Jr. in the sixth round last year. Dallas also exchanged a sixth-round pick for veteran wideout Brandin Cooks.