At various points this season, there’s been speculation about whether or not Jason Garrett would return as Cowboys coach in 2013.
Those questions won’t go away completely until we’re actually into the offseason without a change coming to Dallas, but Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones is saying publicly that a coaching change is unlikely. During an interview on 1310 The Ticket, via the Dallas Morning News, Jones said that he couldn’t envision a scenario where the Cowboys wouldn’t bring Garrett back for another year.
We can envision such a scenario pretty easily. Three straight embarrassing losses to close the season with a losing record would be pretty hard for Garrett to overcome, especially after the Cowboys didn’t finish well in 2011. Jones obviously doesn’t want to consider such a turn of events and explained some of why he thinks Garrett will be back.
“I just think he’s done an outstanding job with this team,” Jones said. “There has been adversity in this season. He’s handled it well. He’s never complained, never blinked. I know our guys play hard for him. I don’t believe anybody has refuted that. No one wants to win more games than Jason. I know he’s disappointed that we haven’t won more games, but at the same time, we do have a winning record right now. We’re in the hunt.”
Things can change quickly, especially if there are other coaching options available that appeal to Jones and/or his father more than keeping Garrett in place. Unless the Cowboys completely go into the tank, though, it seems like he’s moved himself to safer ground with four wins in the last five weeks.