The Dallas Cowboys' coaching search has once again reignited the debate regarding how the franchise handled its hiring process. NFL insider Mike Fisher spoke on the revelation in a recent video posted on his YouTube channel.

Fisher claimed that Brian Schottenheimer had an agreement with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to stay with the franchise as an offensive coordinator even if he were not selected as the team's head coach.

"Now you're saying that Jerry went around the bend again and said, 'Uh, Mr. Schotty (Brian Schottenheimer), even if we hire Kellen Moore as the head coach, you're going to be offensive coordinator,' said Mike Fisher on his podcast. "That's not smart. Okay, I can see Robert Saleh saying, 'Fine, I'm going to handle the defense. You handle the offense."

In the July 11 video posted on YouTube, Fisher suggested this could have created unnecessary challenges for a new coach who tried to build his own staff.

He pointed out that defensive-minded candidates such as Robert Saleh and Leslie Frazier were more willing to keep Schottenheimer in charge of the offense.

However, as an offensive coach like former Cowboys coordinator Kellen Moore would have wanted to call his own plays and choose his own offensive staff, making the arrangement more difficult to manage.

Schottenheimer explained that while Dallas made its coaching search, he and the Jones family had reached an understanding that he would stay with the franchise no matter what the outcome was.

Appearing on The Twins Take podcast, Schottenheimer acknowledged that he had received interest from other teams for the offensive coordinator position. But he ultimately chose to stay because he wanted the Cowboys HC role.

Luckily, the hypothetical conflict never came up because Dallas promoted Schottenheimer to HC. The Cowboys interviewed many candidates, such as Kellen Moore, Robert Saleh, and Leslie Frazier, before selecting the longtime assistant to replace Mike McCarthy.

While Schottenheimer's loyalty to the franchise is appreciated, Fisher believes the front office's approach might have limited another coach's flexibility.

But, Cowboys insider Ed Werder pushed back on the narrative, giving a different account of how the event unfolded before Schottenheimer became Dallas' head coach.

Cowboys' insider shuts down contract claim with Brian Schottenheimer's candid admission

According to Ed Werder, the idea that the Cowboys planned to keep Schottenheimer regardless of the head coach decision is wrong.

“I figured that they were going to work it all out," said Schottenheimer on the Doomsday podcast, per NFL.com. "I'll be quite transparent. I was planning on leaving because I wanted to go call the plays someplace else. And sometimes when your contract expires, you have those opportunities. So, you know, I was planning on, okay, Mike, you know, good luck with everything. And I was, you know, surprised when it didn't work out.”

Werder noted that there was no way Mike McCarthy could have returned while Schottenheimer was on the staff in the same role.

He shared comments made by Schottenheimer, where the HC admitted he expected McCarthy and the Cowboys to reach an agreement.

Schottenheimer revealed that he was preparing to leave Dallas once his contract expired, so he could try somewhere else. He was surprised when negotiations did not meet with McCarthy, which led to his promotion to head coach.

What are your views on Schottenheimer's plan to stick with the Cowboys? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by

Hetal Moleshri

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit