The Cowboys found their replacement for Mike McCarthy, as Dallas is promoting Brian Schottenheimer to become their next head coach.
The move is not what most expected when the Cowboys parted ways with McCarthy, as most people expected the team to hire someone who wasn’t with the organization in 2024. Instead, Dallas chooses the man who was McCarthy’s offensive coordinator over the past two years.
Schottenheimer was not a hot candidate this cycle, as this opening represented his only head coach interview this winter. The 51-year-old had previously been the offensive coordinator for the Jets, Rams and Seahawks, along with one year in college for Georgia.
So, why did the Cowboys move forward with Schottenheimer over McCarthy? The Jugo Mobile examines the decision.
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Brian Schottenheimer age
Schottenheimer is 51 years old but has been in the NFL coaching ranks for his entire career, dating back to 1997. For comparison, Mike McCarthy is ten years older at 61.
At the very least, going from McCarthy to Schottenheimer means Dallas gets significantly younger at the position moving forward.
Cowboys offensive rankings
| Year | Offensive Coordinator | PPG Ranking | YPG Ranking |
| 2024 | Brian Schottenheimer | 21 | 16 |
| 2023 | Brian Schottenheimer | 1 | 5 |
| 2022 | Kellen Moore | 4 | 11 |
| 2021 | Kellen Moore | 1 | 1 |
| 2020 | Kellen Moore | 17 | 14 |
In McCarthy’s five years as the Cowboys head coach, he had two offensive coordinators in Schottenheimer and Kellen Moore, both of whom interviewed to replace McCarthy this year. Dallas moved on from Moore following the 2022 season and promoted Schottenheimer, who spent that year as a coaching analyst with the team.
In Schottenheimer’s first year as offensive coordinator, Dallas led the league in points per game and was top five in yards per game. That resulted in the Cowboys winning 12 games in 2023, winning the NFC East and earning the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs.
However, in 2024, the Cowboys’ offense dropped to middle-of-the-pack, largely due to Dak Prescott’s season-ending injury.
On major difference between Schottenheimer and Moore is that Moore called plays as the offensive coordinator, while McCarthy called plays when Schottenheimer serves as offensive coordinator.
Brian Schottenheimer contract
While Schottenheimer’s contract details aren’t known yet, he most likely will make significantly less than his predecessor. McCarthy was a head coach for 18 years in the NFL, which includes one Super Bowl victory, so he probably asked for a larger deal than what Schottenheimer was willing to accept.
