Bill Belichick continues to be on the short list of names for Dallas Cowboys’ potential head coaching candidates for next season in Las Vegas sportsbooks. Former NFL head coach Rex Ryan’s personal report about his candidacy for Dallas’ defensive coordinator this offseason could put those rumors to bed.
Ryan and Mike Zimmer were the final two candidates to replace Dan Quinn, who left for the Washington Commanders head coaching job. The Cowboys chose Zimmer.
Rex Ryan says the Dallas Cowboys didn’t want to pay him
Ryan doesn’t think Zimmer got the job because of skill or knowledge. During an appearance this week on ESPN‘s DiPietro and Rothenberg, Ryan suggested the Cowboys were too cheap to hire the former Buffalo Bills head coach.
“I could’ve fixed [the Cowboys’ defense] in a New York minute,” Rex Ryan said, via USA Today. “But, that being said, they couldn’t pony up the money, or I would’ve been there.”
Ryan thinks the Cowboys took a lesser coach to lead the defense because of money.
“You brought in a guy that was 29th in the league his last two years at Minnesota, the enthusiasm he brings when he left, that’s the guy that’s gonna inspire you,” Ryan asked. This can go really bad for Dallas.”
The Cowboys are 2-2 after Thursday night’s 20-15 win over the New York Giants. The two losses have a lot to do with the Cowboys giving up 72 points in their previous two games against the New Orleans Saints and Baltimore Ravens.
The Cowboys won on Thursday night, but it wasn’t convincing. McCarthy could find himself out of a job if the Cowboys don’t make it far in the postseason this January.
Can the Cowboys afford Bill Belichick?
But would Belichick coach for a front office that won’t pay for a premium coaching staff?
Belichick’s services weren’t cheap in New England. Per Bloomberg, Belichick was the highest-paid head coach in the NFL last season for $25 million. It’s unclear how much the Cowboys are paying Zimmer, but it’s a fraction of what Belichick would ask for in Dallas.
It’s possible Jerry Jones, who has thought about hiring Belichick in the future, would be willing to pay a higher price for a six-time Super Bowl champion head coach. And Belichick’s number might come down after “mutually” parting ways with the Patriots after last season.
Still, if Ryan is correct that Jones valued money over wins this season, the dream of having Belichick coach the Cowboys may be already an impossibility.
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