Jones does not appear to be in a rush to decide whether Garrett will remain Cowboys head coachgetty images
Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones "didn't say much to his fan base or the media" about what he is going to do with coach Jason Garrett after the team missed the playoffs again, and Jones "won't say if and when he'll make a decision regarding Garrett's future," according to Calvin Watkins of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Jones "termed it nothing 'sharable' at this time," though Garrett is in the final year of his contract, which ends from a legal standpoint following Super Bowl LIV. There is a "specific date the Cowboys have before telling Garrett about his fate," but Jones "would not reveal that date." He also "wouldn't say if allowing Garrett to move on without a new contract is a hard decision," just that he has the understanding Garrett "wants to win a Super Bowl and that any moves made will be informed" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 12/30). In Ft. Worth, Clarence Hill Jr. writes giving Garrett a new contract after his team "came into the season with Super Bowl hopes" and then "became disappointing underachievers in a 8-8 finish and sitting home for the postseason is not a real option." But Jones is not in "any rush to make a move on Garrett and is not concerned about falling behind in the race for prospective candidates to other teams with openings" (Ft. Worth STAR-TELEGRAM, 12/30).
TIME FOR A CHANGE? In Dallas, Tim Cowlishaw writes the Cowboys are a team "badly in need of new direction," and he believes Jones already has "reached that realization but wasn't interested in saying it on the final night of the season." It is a coaching change that will "bother Jones more than any that he has made," as Garrett has been "in the middle of the Cowboys' sideline for 9 1/2 seasons and while that feels like too long to most Dallas fans, Jones extends the relationship beyond even that." But two playoff wins in nine years are "simply not enough" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 12/30).
ALL IN THE PHRASING: NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports while the Cowboys "almost certainly" will be looking for a new coach, it is possible that Garrett will not be fired in the traditional sense. His current contract expires on Jan. 14, and Jones "could literally do nothing and (Garrett) would just be out of a contract" on Jan. 15. However, it is expected that Jones will issue "some sort of public acknowledgement" about Garrett's status before the middle of next month ("Good Morning Football," NFL Network, 12/30). The Dallas Morning News' Michael Gehlken notes Jones is "intent on doing right" by Garrett, and it is "important not to 'fire' him." Jones "believes Garrett, first with franchise in 1993 as player, deserves better." How he has "commented publicly on Garrett’s status and timing of today’s meetings all arranged to do right by Garrett" (TWITTER.com, 12/30).
