Jerry Jones knew he would likely be on the lookout for a new HC come the end of the season. After all, he kept Mike McCarthy on the leash of a one-year deal. What transpired, though, is something nobody of Cowboys’ persuasion fathomed. A season of unequivocal failure. This is owing to some poor roster planning, a touch of misfortune with injuries and Jerry’s World going from a fortress to the worst home-field advantage in the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys’ new figurehead may perhaps be a stone’s throw away.

College Football is evolving past its amateur genesis. It’s now got flash and money adjacent to pro leagues across the country and beyond. But it’s never quite going to be the top entity in the football food chain. The NFL is, across the board, a touch above. The gap has shrunk, though, at least financially. CFB coaches at the biggest programs are raking in more green than most of their big-league counterparts. However, the tryst with plying your craft among the very best athletes the sport has to offer creates a conundrum. Stay put, or take the proverbial leap upwards?

According to Adam Schefter, Texas’ Steve Sarkisian shall soon stand on the precipice of this conundrum. Schefter reports coach Sarkisian will imminently receive offers to take the helm at NFL franchises. A fair few have a void at HC or are due to have one very soon. The consensus notion is that the Cowboys will likely fall in this category. One SEC and, by extension, Texas Longhorns’ insider spoke about Jerry Jones potentially pursuing Sarkisian.

Over on the “Locked On SEC” podcast, host Chris Gordy gave a platform to rumours linking Steve Sarkisian to America’s team. “It’s funny, there’s rumblings [with] Sark…that maybe the Dallas Cowboys could move on from Mike McCarthy and bring in Sark to be the guy,” he said.

Gordy proceeded to quell some concern amidst the Longhorns faithful but did warn them.“This is all just kind of, you know, what you would call offseason fodder. But when Adam Schefter reports, where there’s smoke. At least it’s worth passing along.”

These developments, albeit only simmering along for now, come after the Cowboys’ much-publicized yearning for Deion Sanders dissipated. It’s pretty conspicuous for now that Deion’s immediate future in Boulder, Colorado, remains intact. Sarkisian, who’s previously been a QBs coach and OC at the Raiders and Falcons respectively, does present as an enticing alternative for Jerry Jones. However, even the allure of the White Star may not be enough to get him.

Jerry Jones likely to come back from the College level empty-handed again

Let’s suspend disbelief and consider that Steve Sarkisian will indeed be ready to leave Texas and move to the NFL if the chance arrives. Sark signed a contract extension less than a year ago, off the back of a 2023 season that culminated in a CFP berth when they still only had 4 teams. Expectations were high at the outset of 2024, with the contract in tandem with the realignment to the SEC. While there is still no divergence of their path away from Natty contention, Sark has the most secure job in the land. 

Compare that to the Cowboys, who, courtesy of their owner/GM Jerry, hold expectations that are beyond rationale. He’s got plenty of credit in the bank at this level but will have to prove his pedigree in the NFL. If the call of the NFL is still loud enough for Sarkisian to gloss over this, there’s another hindrance. In order to make this perceived step up, he’ll have to take a step down on the financial front.

Steve Sarkisian is the 4th highest paid coach in CFB, making $10.3 million annually. For context, merely 7 out of 32 NFL coaches make more. All 7 of these coaches have either been to multiple Super Bowls, i.e. Kyle Shanahan or won the Lombardi outright. Sark will need to take a hefty pay cut to move up an echelon. Coach Sark has a net worth upwards of $74 million, about $30 million more than Deion, for context. That’s how far CFB has come. Jerry Jones is no stranger to throwing money rather erratically, as epitomized by Dak Prescott’s contract. With the Cowboys involved, always expect eccentricity and flash to perhaps take precedence over realism.