Dallas Cowboys might just end up with the oldest head coach in NFL history despite Brian Schottenheimer reports
UPDATE: Since the publishing of this article, Pete Carroll has agreed to become the next Las Vegas Raiders head coach, per Jordan Schultz. The Dallas Cowboys' head coaching search seemed to have settled on one candidate: Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, who talked for almost 10 hours with the Jones family in two interviews Tuesday and […]
UPDATE: Since the publishing of this article, Pete Carroll has agreed to become the next Las Vegas Raiders head coach, per Jordan Schultz.
The Dallas Cowboys' head coaching search seemed to have settled on one candidate: Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, who talked for almost 10 hours with the Jones family in two interviews Tuesday and Wednesday. But on Thursday, one more name was thrown into the ring as reports emerged on the Cowboys being interested on someone Schottenheimer knows very well.
The name would make sense, as he is someone who checks several boxes for the Cowboys including a Super Bowl ring and a National Championship at the collegiate level.
He also happens to be someone who would break a record the moment Week 1 kicked off in 2025: Pete Carroll.
According to Nick Harris from the Forth Worth Star-Telegram, "Jones has contacted former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll regarding the opening. The conversation has been described as informal, although the interest is legitimate enough to be reported."
Schottenheimer remains the favorite for the job (in my book, a nine-hour conversation with Jerry Jones beats an informal talk with Carroll) and reports indicated Thursday that a decision was expected by Friday.
If the Cowboys were to throw the curveball though, the former Seattle Seahawks head coach would become the oldest head coach in NFL history at almost 74 years old, which he would turn between Week 2 and Week 3.
Currently, that record belongs to Romeo Crennel, who coached at 73 years and 119 days.
The thing about Carroll is that he seems to have more energy than I do at 25 years old, so though his age could be perceived as an issue by many, it's certainly a possibility to see him back in the NFL sidelines this year.
The biggest if with Carroll is what does the timeline look like?
Sure, he wants to get back into coaching at 74 years old but NFL teams need three-year plans or longer when building teams. Say Carroll gets signed to a four-year deal. Is the energy the same at 77 years old halfway through the deal? It's uncharted territory in the NFL. Perhaps he fits with the rumored plans to have Jason Witten be a successor to the head coaching job down the road.
Bill Belichick struggled to find himself a market last year upon parting ways with the New England Patriots and though that likely had more to do with his general manager approach, chances are teams were also wondering about his age and commitment to a long-term position.
However, it's easy to see why the Cowboys could be enticed by Carroll: He's one of three coaches in league history to win both a Super Bowl and a National Championship.
The other two? Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer.
The Cowboys attempted to get a short-term deal done with Mike McCarthy, which essentially killed negotiations before they really got going between the two sides. That might be the biggest question the Cowboys ask themselves if they interview Carroll as part of their search for the future head coach of the franchise.
