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When the Detroit Lions named journeyman NFL tight end Dan Campbell their head coach in 2021, the move was widely mocked. That mockery only got louder after Campbell’s bizarre introductory press conference where he claimed that the Lions were “going to bite a knee cap off.”
Fast forward a few years and Campbell is considered one of the league’s best coaches and the Lions, for the first time in my 32 years on earth, are genuine Super Bowl contenders. Now it seems every team in the league is trying to find its own Dan Campbell. That includes the Dallas Cowboys, who seem content to let lame-duck head coach Mike McCarthy finish the rest of their already miserable season.
The Cowboys haven’t given any indication as to who will replace McCarthy, assuming he isn’t extended. But owner Jerry Jones may have given a hint on Friday when he compared one of the franchise’s all-time great players to Campbell.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on @1053thefan when asked if Jason Witten could be an NFL head coach one day:
“Yes. Without hesitation, yes. He has something you can’t draw up, reminds me a lot of our other tight end, he’s the head coach up at Detroit right now.” #DallasCowboys
— Tommy Yarrish (@tommy_yarrish) November 15, 2024
Jerry Jones Suggests Former Cowboys TE Jason Witten Is A Future NFL Head Coach
“Yes. Without hesitation, yes. He has something you can’t draw up, reminds me a lot of our other tight end, he’s the head coach up at Detroit right now,” Jones said when asked if former Cowboys tight end Jason Witten could be a future NFL head coach.
*Chef’s kiss*
It’s just so perfect. Only Jerry Jones could look at Detroit’s success under Campbell and go “Yes, we also had a veteran tight end who was considered a gritty white dude.”
Never mind the fact that Campbell also played three seasons in Dallas and was hired one year after McCarthy. Campbell also spent a decade working his way up through the NFL coaching ranks. Witten, meanwhile, has never coached above the high school level.
Who knows? Maybe Witten will prove to be a good NFL head coach one day. But right now, the only similarity he has to Campbell is that he’s a gritty white dude who played tight end in the NFL.
Sorry Cowboys fans, but your future doesn’t exactly look bright with Jones running the show.