The Dallas Cowboys must move quickly with their offseason plans as several of their big stars and head coach have expiring contracts to their names. The Cowboys have no time to dwell on the controversial loss to the Green Bay Packers as the priority must first be to decide the fate of Jason Garrett and move on from there. As most teams continue searching for a new head coach from a small pool of candidates, the Cowboys do not intend to join the race.
At the beginning of the season, it was assumed that Garrett was on the hot seat. The Cowboys had suffered far too many 8-8 seasons and were hungry for some postseason play. Garrett stepped up to the challenge and got the team all the way to the NFC divisional game. However, does that guarantee the coach a return in 2015 given his contract has expired?
According to ESPNDallas.com, the Cowboys do intend to bring Garrett back. Owner and Head Cowboy Jerry Jones has stated his support for Garrett and hope that the relationship continues, something the coach confirmed.
"Absolutely," Garrett said, via ESPN.com. "This is a great organization. I think we really built a football team that we can be proud of, and there are some really good things ahead for this team."
Most of the Cowboys coaching staff has expiring contracts and not everyone is planning to return. Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli is expected to join Tampa Bay's staff and reconnect with Lovie Smith who he worked for with the Chicago Bears. Scott Linehan and Bill Callahan are drawing interest from the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens. The Cowboys have three days of exclusivity for negotiating new deals before the coaches can interview elsewhere.
Assuming Garrett is signed to a new deal and the Cowboys do not embark on a new coaching search, Dez Bryant will be the next priority for the team. The Cowboys have been attempting to get Bryant signed to a new deal for the better part of a year, but so far the two sides have yet to agree on a contract. Bryant has said that while he intends to remain with the Cowboys, he wants respect in his next contract.
DeMarco Murray could be the odd man out in this instance. The running back market is weak and while Murray is a big factor in the Cowboys' success this season, there is simply not enough leverage for him to demand a big deal. Murray told the media that he is not concerned over his future, understanding everything will work itself out whether in Dallas or elsewhere.
"I'm not worried about my future," Murray said, via ESPN.com. "I just lost a big game, the biggest game of my life. Just not worried about it right now. Just relax with my family and get away from it for a little bit."