Insider notes on Dan Quinn's Cowboys future: Could Dallas DC leave town amid spate of HC vacancies?
As the coaching carousel starts to kick into gear, Dan Quinn’s name is sure to get plenty of mention, as it usually does. The defensive genius was interviewed for head coaching vacancies with the Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos this past January. And that was after being interviewed for the same position by the New York Giants, Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings and Broncos after the 2021 season.
Yet despite interest from more than a half-dozen teams, Quinn chose to remain in Dallas. Could he be on the move in 2024?
Quinn has overseen one of the best defenses in the NFL. The Cowboys rank in the top half-dozen teams in the league for fewest points allowed and top seven for fewest yards given up. One look at the Sportskeeda stats board and you’ll see Dallas as third in total sacks this season. Hence, it’s easy to see why teams are knocking on Quinn’s door to lead their franchise. And it wouldn’t be the first time.
What's the latest on head coaching interest in Dan Quinn?
Quinn was previously the head coach for the Atlanta Falcons from 2015 to 2020. Included in his tenure were two trips to the playoffs and a Super Bowl appearance in 2016. He was fired after an 0-5 start to the 2020 season then quickly hired as defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys in January of 2021, replacing Mike Nolan.
There’s speculation the half-dozen or so teams who’ll be looking for a new head coach next January will line up to speak with Quinn. Yet from what I’m told, Quinn is in no hurry to leave the Cowboys.
The belief around the league is Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy must make a deep run into the playoffs this season or he’ll lose his job. The Cowboys have won 12 games each of the past two seasons, then made a quick exit from the postseason.
In 2021, they lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card round by a score of 23-17. Last season, they beat Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card but lost again to the 49ers in the divisional game, 19-12. McCarthy’s coaching decisions in both losses were heavily criticized.
Sources tell me that if McCarthy does not make a run deep into the playoffs and Dallas lets him go, Quinn will be hired as head coach of the Cowboys. This is a consensus belief throughout the league.
Even if McCarthy is retained as head coach of the Cowboys in 2024, those close to the situation tell me they expect Quinn to stay on in Dallas.
Quinn is one of the highest-paid coordinators in the league with a reported salary of $4.5 million, higher than several head coaches. Besides the pay and the success he’s helped bring to the Cowboys defense, Quinn likes the Cowboys franchise and feels good about being in Dallas.
Whether it’s 2024 or in the near future, the overwhelming belief in the league whittles down to this -- Dan Quinn is next in line to be the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.