NFL rumors over the next several days will focus on the six head coach openings around the league and who might be given a shot to take over a team. Candidates range from the underrated to those football fans have heard about over the past several years.
Jason Garrett is in that latter category after the Dallas Cowboys moved on from him following the 2019 season. Currently the New York Giants’ offensive coordinator, Garrett is now reportedly receiving interest from at least one NFL team.
Related: Ranking the six NFL head coach openings
NFL rumors: Los Angeles Chargers to interview Jason Garrett for head coach opening
NFL media’s Ian Rapoport was the first to report the news Monday evening. On the surface, this might seem like a horrible decision for the Chargers. After all, Garrett earned a mere three playoff appearances in parts of 10 seasons as the Cowboys’ head coach.
With that said, he also had just one losing season during that span. It also must be noted that Mike McCarthy didn’t do much better with this season’s iteration of the Cowboys posting a 6-10 record and missing out on the playoffs in the disastrous NFC East.
These NFL rumors come mere hours after the Chargers made the inevitable decision to fire embattled head coach Anthony Lynn following a 7-9 season.
It’s also not a stretch to conclude that Los Angeles’ interest in Jason Garrett stems from his success turning Dak Prescott into a Pro Bowl quarterback in Dallas. With Justin Herbert coming off an historical rookie season in Los Angeles, catering to his needs would seem to make the most sense.
Related: NFL Playoffs schedule and predictions, wild card round
Jason Garrett career coaching record
As noted above, Garrett has a questionable track record as a head coach since taking over for Wade Phillips in Dallas midway through the 2010 season.
- 2010: 5-3 (missed playoffs)
- 2011: 8-8 (missed playoffs)
- 2012: 8-8 (missed playoffs)
- 2013: 8-8 (missed playoffs)
- 2014: 12-4 (lost divisional round)
- 2015: 4-12 (missed playoffs)
- 2016: 13-3 (lost divisional round)
- 2017: 9-7 (missed playoffs)
- 2018: 10-6 (lost divisional round)
- 2019: 8-8 (missed playoffs)
It seems to be fitting that Garrett’s tenure with the Cowboys concluded with an 8-8 record. Obviously, Chargers fans are not going to be excited about these latest NFL rumors.
Related: If you’re a fan of the Chargers, check out #BoltUp rumors, rankings, and news here.
NFL rumors: Chargers head coach candidates
All of this comes with reports surfacing that the Chargers are interested in Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady and San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, among others. Previous reports also suggested that Urban Meyer could be interested in the Chargers’ opening.
What we do know is that NFL fans want fresh blood to lead their teams, not retreads. Unfortunately for Jason Garrett and the narrative surrounding his reported interview, that’s exactly what he’s seen as.
None of this means Garrett wouldn’t have success if he were to become the Chargers’ next head coach. He did post a 85-67 regular-season record with the Cowboys. For a Chargers team that has won double-digit games just once since the 2009 season, that would seemingly be an upgrade.
Of course, Garrett’s reputation as an average head coach in Dallas also plays a role when looking at the narratives. Time will tell on that front should the Chargers hire him. For now, it’s a mere interview.
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