Cowboys' Stephen Jones on Jason Garrett's contract: 'Hasn't even been discussed yet'
ATLANTA – Jason Garrett is heading into the final year of his contract as Dallas Cowboys coach, but Stephen Jones contends that it’s premature to draw any conclusions about his long-term status.
Jones, the team’s chief operating officer, told Paste BN Sports that Garrett’s contract, “Hasn’t even been discussed yet.”
An ESPN report on Thursday, citing unidentified sources, said that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones isn’t expected to extend the coach’s contract. Stephen Jones, discussing the matter with Paste BN Sports, maintained that he doesn’t have any idea about the source of the ESPN report. He said the priority regarding the coaching staff since the end of the season has been to shore up the lineup of assistants.
The Cowboys, with an offense that drew intense heat before the acquisition of Amari Cooper, fired offensive coordinator Scott Linehan following their playoff loss to the Rams in the divisional round. Kellen Moore was promoted to coordinator from quarterbacks coach, while former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna was hired to fill Moore’s previous post. Dallas also hired Carlos Polk as assistant special teams coach.
Jones seemed to imply that the Cowboys have ample time to strike a new deal for Garrett if they want to enter next season without the appearance of having a lame-duck coach. On the other hand, when Garrett signed his last extension for five years and a reported $60 million, he was in the final year of his previous deal and made his case by winning the first of his three NFC East crowns with a 12-4 mark.
So there’s some history – and incentive – in play.
While it’s possible the Cowboys could extend Garrett to a shorter-term deal, Stephen Jones indicated that a contract in any form, “isn’t something we’ve considered yet,” in internal discussions.