Several top Cowboys coaching candidates have yet to receive a call from Jerry Jones

The Dallas Cowboys and Mike McCarthy parted ways Monday after the head coach’s contract expired. Now, Jerry Jones is off to the races to find his team’s next signal-caller.

NFL Network’s Jane Slater provided insight into the Cowboys’ coaching search in its early days, which she mentioned Jones was leading on a “solo mission.” Slater mentioned many of the top candidates for the job, many of whom have not yet been in contact with the Cowboys owner.

“It looks like Jerry went on a solo mission,” Slater said. “He answers the phone and makes calls. My understanding is he hasn’t called Kellen Moore yet, he hasn’t called Kliff Kingsbury yet, he hasn’t called (Steve) Sarkisian at the University yet of Texas.”

She mentioned that Sarkisian, as well as widely rumored Colorado coach Deion Sanders, would both offer significant buyouts to Jones to get out of their current deals.

Another named candidate was former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden, who Slater said has not yet received a call that he is aware of.

Moore served as the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator from 2019-2022 and currently serves in the same role for the Philadelphia Eagles. Kingsbury coached the Arizona Cardinals from 2019-22 and joined the Washington Commanders as offensive coordinator this season after one year at USC.

Sarkisian took the Longhorns close to the College Football Playoff semifinals before being eliminated by Ohio State on Friday. Texas finished third in the final CFP rankings as Sarkisian made a name for himself right next to Jones’ Cowboys.

Jones is busy as he searches for Dallas’ next head coach just one day after McCarthy’s departure. Time will tell if he decides to call out any hot names for the position.