Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones got the football world buzzing on Thursday when he announced that he’ll hold a press conference on Friday.
Hmmm. Interesting…#Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will conduct a press conference at noon Friday. The press conference will involve a football related matter and will take place in the Atrium Lobby of the The Star in Frisco.
— Stefan Stevenson (@StefanVersusTex) November 1, 2018
Of course, that’s made us all wonder. Just what is this going to be about? Jason Witten will be in the building and the smart money says that it will be something related to that. But there are other possibilities that we can’t quite ignore.
As we see it, the press conference could be about any one of these five things.
Jason Witten going into the Ring of Honor
With the Cowboys hosting the Tennessee Titans on “Monday Night Football,” this seems like the obvious play. Like it or not, Witten is a commentator on Monday nights. His career in Dallas unquestionably deserves to be honored. With him rolling into town this week, it would only make sense that the Cowboys would find some way to honor him.
The only issue here is that this is not really a “football related matter.” Witten was certainly a great player and leader of the team. But he’s retired now. Putting him in the Ring of Honor (or inducting him in some other way) seems more like a P.R. move than a football one. But even with that caveat, this one would seem to make the most sense.
Hiring Hue Jackson
Scott Linehan has come under fire as the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator. Jackson certainly is an accomplished offensive coordinator. He’s now available for hire. Even if the timing is weird, we definitely wouldn’t put it past the Cowboys to make this change.
Or maybe Dallas will hire Jackson for an even bigger job.
Firing Jason Garrett
Of course, if Garrett was going to be fired, the ideal time would have been after the Week 7 loss to the Washington Redskins. Then again, Jackson didn’t become available until after Week 8. We can certainly see the Cowboys going out of their way to bring in a head coach with Jackson’s esteemed resume (laughter).
Of course, retaining Garrett all the way through the Week 8 bye only to fire him a mere three days before Monday’s game wouldn’t make a lot of sense. Then again, being 3-4 and trading a first-round pick for Amari Cooper isn’t exactly conventional, either. When Jones is calling the shots, we have to be willing to think outside of the box. This is possible because it makes zero sense.
Re-signing Dez Bryant
One of the greatest receivers in franchise history is quite available on the free agent market. Dallas can certainly use some help at the receiver position. Might a reunion be in the works?
Of course, Jones has said that the Cowboys aren’t going to sign Bryant. We can’t just ignore that. But let’s be honest here. Are you really going to hang out at a Beyoncé concert with someone you’re not interested in signing? Jones can sell the idea that Dallas wouldn’t want Bryant back to someone else. We’re not buying it.
Extending Jason Garrett
Garrett does have a winning record in his eight-plus seasons as Dallas’ head coach. But he made the playoffs only twice in the first eight years and a postseason trip isn’t exactly likely in Year 9. From the outside looking in, it looks like this will be Garrett’s last year in Dallas, barring a significant turnaround.
But remember. Jones got rid of Jimmy Johnson after Johnson led the Cowboys to consecutive Super Bowl wins. He has no issues with firing coaches. There’s clearly a loyalty to Garrett. If he hasn’t fired him yet, maybe that will never happen. Everyone is expecting Jones to zig and fire Garrett this season or shortly after. Maybe he’ll zag and extend him. Don’t act like this would shock you.