"He has the type of energy we need" - Cowboys fan Shaquille O'Neal names the ideal replacement for HC Mike McCarthy
The current head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Mike McCarthy, will be in charge for the 2022 season following his team's one-and-done appearance in the playoffs last campaign.
With rumors circling that Sean Payton, former coach of the New Orleans Saints and a good friend of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, will take over in 2023, this may well be McCarthy's final year in Dallas. One famous Dallas fan has had his say on who he believes the next head coach should be, and it isn't Payton.
Making an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Shaquille O'Neal, a four-time NBA champion and basketball Hall of Famer, offered a different solution at head coach for Dallas. He said:
"I was on my podcast the other day. I mentioned this about the Cowboys. I want somebody to go with it, and this is what I think. If you look at the job that Deion Sanders is doing at Jackson state, that’s the type of energy we need at Cowboys. I don’t know who the new coach for the Cowboys is, but I think you should bring Deion back home."
Deion Sanders was a Hall of Fame cornerback in the NFL and played for Dallas from 1995 to 1999, helping them win Super Bowl XXX against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Should the Cowboys hire Deion Sanders in 2023?
If the rumors are to be believed, Jerry Jones is ready to move on from Mike McCarthy after the 2022 season. Sean Payton would be the obvious choice but does Shaq make a good point?
Back in January, Shaq said Sanders should be the next head coach for Dallas and called out Jones publicly on his podcast to hire Sanders.
Cowboys fan Shaquille O’Neal on The Big Podcast: “Jerry Jones, this message is from Shaquille O’Neal Incorporated, Deion Sanders for the next coach of Cowboys. You want to get Dallas back rocking? Bring Deion into the fold. Deion will hold those players accountable.”
Sanders currently coaches the Jackson State Tigers and has done so since September 2020. Last season, he led them to the the Southwestern Athletic Conference title with a record of 11 wins and only two losses.
Although he has had no experience as a head coach in the NFL, he is beloved in Dallas and many fans there would love to see him get an opportunity. Sanders himself has stated before that he would be too tough as a head coach.
"I would be too tough as a coach in the NFL because I still have those old-school attributes."
NFL legend @DeionSanders is an icon in Dallas and beyond.
Would he ever coach the Cowboys?🏈
"I would be too tough as a coach in the NFL because I still have those old-school attributes."
I loved how open "Coach Prime" was in our exclusive interview⬇️
si.com/nfl/cowboys/ne… https://t.co/uDtV7q2CRS
Only time will tell if we end up seeing "Prime Time" back in Dallas as their new head coach, though being publicly endorsed for this role by the one and only Shaquille O'Neal can only be a good thing.