Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Candidates Ranked feat. Jason Witten, Deion Sanders and more

The Dallas Cowboys are looking for a new head coach, albeit slightly later compared to the other teams. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and head coach Mike McCarthy decided to not renew their agreement just two days ago, parting ways after negotiations for a new contract failed.

While the other franchises had a headstart on shortlisting and interviewing candidates, the Cowboys have yet to start. They are currently scheduled to speak with former Jets head coach Robert Saleh and former Minnesota Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier.

Who else could be on the list? We rank the top five most likely Dallas Cowboys head coaches.

Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Candidates

1. Deion Sanders

The Hall of Famer has already spoken with Jerry Jones about the role and called hearing from Jones "truly delightful." In two seasons, he turned around the Colorado Buffaloes program that was 1-11 in 2022 to a 9-4 team with two top players likely to be selected high in the NFL draft: Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders.

‘Primetime’ also has fond memories of the Cowboys, having won a Super Bowl in his first season there in the 1995-96 season, coincidentally the last time the Cowboys won the Super Bowl.

2. Jason Witten

Syndication: The Knoxville News-Sentinel - Source: Imagn

Jason Witten played 16 seasons for the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2019. He currently leads the Cowboys in career receptions and receiving yards and has also started the most consecutive games at 229. He then retired and served as the head coach for Liberty Christian School in Argyle, Texas.

Jerry Jones has already spoken highly of Witten as a head coach. In November, he said this about Witten while on live radio:

"He has something that you can't draw up. He reminds me a lot of our other tight end who is head coach up there in Detroit right now (Dan Campbell)."

3. Kellen Moore

NFL: Philadelphia Eagles at Baltimore Ravens - Source: Imagn

Speaking of former Cowboys players, the current Philadelphia Eagles OC was the previous heir apparent to the role. McCarthy retained Kellen Moore when he took over the job in 2020 before eventually letting him go in 2022.

Moore went on to be the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers for a season before taking over as the Eagles offensive coordinator this season. He has guided the Eagles to become the second-best rushing team in the league this season behind running back Saquon Barkley.

In his playing career, Moore was a backup quarterback and spent three seasons with the Dallas Cowboys behind Tony Romo.

4. Kliff Kingsbury

NFL: Washington Commanders at Baltimore Ravens - Source: Imagn

Another name to watch is Kliff Kingsbury. As offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders, he has catapulted Jayden Daniels into the forefront of the Offensive Rookie of the Year conversation. The Commanders offense is tied this year for most points in team history with 485.

Kingsbury has head coaching experience from his days as head coach of Texas A&M with Patrick Mahomes and the Arizona Cardinals with Kyler Murray.

5. Pete Carroll

NFL: Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals - Source: Imagn

The former Seattle Seahawks head coach is looking to get back into coaching and the Cowboys position could be a fit. Carroll has a Super Bowl-winning pedigree that may be enticing to Jones. During his time with the Seahawks, he built a strong defensive philosophy around the famed ‘Legion of Boom’ while getting the most out of Russell Wilson’s skill set.

Other Head Coach Candidates

• Despite being fired from the New York Jets, Robert Saleh is still respected in league circles and could be an option.
• Leslie Frazier is set to be the first to interview when he speaks with the Cowboys on January 20. The veteran coach has more than 35 years of coaching experience and spent last season with the Seattle Seahawks as Assistant Head Coach.