A seismic shift has appeared out of Texas as the Dallas Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones are looking for a new head coach.
According to a report from Tom Pelissero on Monday afternoon, Mike McCarthy will not return to Dallas next year as one of the most talked-about jobs across the football landscape now becomes open.
Who will take over in Dallas? The rumors are certainly flying – Deion Sanders, Bill Belichick, Ben Johnson, Jon Gruden… the list of replacements is long and wide.
But one name in particular is familiar in both Dallas and Knoxville.
VFL Jason Witten.
Shan Shariff, a lead radio host for 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, has Witten’s name jotted down in an initial 10-man list of potential replacements that Jerry Jones could go after.
So……….now what? #Cowboys
Kellen
Witten
Zimmer-Al Harris
Belichick
Ben Johnson
Gruden
Kingsbury
Tomlin
Ron Rivera or Pederson
DeionWho am I missing?
— Shan Shariff (@1053SS) January 13, 2025
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Marcus Mosher, the host of the Locked On Cowboys podcast, has Witten as the fourth of five “realistic” options that Jerry Jones will bring in to interview for the job.
“I bet they interview Kellen Moore, Ron Rivera, Jason Witten, etc if McCarthy leaves,” Mosher posted to X before McCarthy’s departure on Monday.
105.3 The Fan’s Zach Wolchuk also pointed toward Witten as a possibility after the McCarthy news broke on Monday.
“Kellen Moore & Jason Witten so seem like two top options the Cowboys will look at… not that I like it but they don’t care,” Wolchuk posted to X.
The rumors on Witten aren’t yet coming from national sources such as Adam Schefter or Ian Rapaport, but that’s not to reject the credibility of the radio hosts in Dallas, either. These radio hosts are tuned into what the Cowboys organization is doing and how the fanbase feels on a regular basis and do come with plenty of credibility.
That’s not to say that Witten is set to become the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys but it certainly isn’t out of the world to think that Jones might look in the direction of one of his former favorite players. Jones’ moves in recent years point less to trying to win a Super Bowl and more toward making splash moves that’ll keep Dallas in headlines for months to come.
Back in November, Dallas was really struggling and rumors popped up about the Cowboys potentially making a mid-season move to oust McCarthy. While that obviously never happened, former Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant loved the idea of Witten returning to Dallas.
“I saw a rumor about Jason Witten for the Dallas Cowboys coaching job! I love it!” Bryant posted to X on Nov. 24.
After retiring from the NFL and leaving the broadcast ranks, Witten settled down in the DFW Metroplex and took over the head coaching job at Liberty Christian High School in Argyle, TX, in February 2021.
Witten led an undefeated Liberty Christian to a state football championship in 2023.
Witten’s son, Cooper Witten, is a superstar prospect in the 2027 class. The Liberty Christian safety/linebacker is ranked as a five-star prospect and a Top 25 overall player according to 247 Sports Composite rankings.
According to 247, Tennessee is one of the 10 D1 teams to have offered a scholarship to Witten including SEC foes such as Oklahoma, Missouri, and Texas A&M.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more potential Jason Witten news as it comes out.
