For most teams, the length of a head coach’s contract isn’t all that important: Successful coaches routinely get extensions before their contracts are up. Unsuccessful coaches routinely get fired before their contracts are up. Most coaches never complete a full contract.
The Cowboys are different: Their last head coach, Mike McCarthy, coached the entire length of his contract. The coach before McCarthy, Jason Garrett, also coached the entire length of his contract. Garrett initially became the Cowboys’ coach when he was promoted from offensive coordinator when Wade Phillips was fired mid-season. In Dallas, Jerry Jones has established the precedent that coaches don’t leave because they’re fired or resign. They stay until their contract is up.
So it’s newsworthy that new Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer got a four-year contract, according to Nick Harris of the Star-Telegram. That means he’s under contract through the 2028 season, which is also the last year that quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb are under contract.
It’s not a guarantee that Schottenheimer’s job is safe for four years regardless of the results, but it’s a strong indication that Jones plans to have a team run by Schottenheimer, building the offense around Prescott, for the next four seasons. Four seasons during which Cowboys fans hope they can figure out a way to do something they haven’t done in three decades, and advance past the divisional round of the playoffs.
