"It's a dead end": Former Bengals Pro Bowler warns Deion Sanders to stay away from Dallas Cowboys

As is customary, we're talking about the Dallas Cowboys during the NFL playoffs but this time, for all the wrong reasons. The team entrenched itself in the headlines on Monday after parting ways with Mike McCarthy, who served as their head coach for five seasons.

The Cowboys had three straight 12-win seasons under McCarthy but managed just one win in the playoffs. They didn't make the playoffs this year, primarily due to Dak Prescott suffering a season-ending injury.

In any case, while there were some positive signs this year, including the state of the defense under Mike Zimmer toward the second half of the season, both McCarthy and franchise owner Jerry Jones decided it would be best if they went their separate ways.

Jones wasted little time in getting to work as the general manager, reaching out to franchise legend Deion Sanders. "Coach Prime" is currently the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes but reportedly has a buyout clause that, when triggered, would allow him to leave Boulder to come to The Star.

While speculation has run rampant that Sanders is Jones' first choice, former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver T. J. Houshmandzadeh believes Sanders should steer well clear of the job. On Tuesday's episode of FS1's "The Facility," the one-time Pro Bowler said:

"I heard Jordan Schultz saying it’s a prestigious and coveted job. Man, the Cowboys is a dead end job.

"Who was the head coach before Mike McCarthy? Jason Garrett. Did he get another job after that? Who was the head coach before Jason Garrett? Wade Phillips. Did he get another job after that? Who was the head coach before Phillips? Parcells. Did he get another job after that? It’s a dead end job!”

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Exploring potential list of HC candidates for Dallas Cowboys

As things stand, the Cowboys have not scheduled interviews with any candidates. Jones unofficially reached out to Sanders, but that's about it.

If Sanders doesn't take the job, another candidate who has been strongly linked with the vacancy is Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

Moore served as the Cowboys' OC in 2022 before being let go by McCarthy. He landed on his feet with the LA Chargers before eventually landing in Philly this season.

There has also been speculation that former tight end Jason Witten could land an interview with Jerry Jones, though he does not have any coaching experience at this level. Witten is currently serving as the head coach at Liberty Christian in Argyle, Texas.