Peter King: “It was the Dallas Cowboys showing some incredible loyalty to somebody. As an organization, they loved Jason Garrett as much as any player or coach Jerry Jones has had in his 30 years with Dallas. And it isn’t just Jason Garrett, it’s Jim Garrett, Jason’s father and a former scout, who was also a beloved member of the organization too. In some ways, Jerry Jones almost felt like a surrogate dad after the death of Jim Garrett. He really loves Jason Garrett and I think he felt ‘I’m going to give him every opportunity, and let’s just see what happens, and then if we find somebody that we love, then and ONLY then are we going to let Jason Garrett go.' It was trying to show as much respect as they could.” (Full Interview Above)
Listen to respected NBC Sports NFL insider Peter King explain to Rich Eisen why the Dallas Cowboys delayed the firing of the now-former Dallas head coach, Jason Garrett, whose final weeks made up one of the most bizarre and drawn out firings in NFL history.
After Garrett failed to make the playoffs for the 7th time in his 10 seasons with the franchise, it seemed like Garrett’s exodus in Dallas was already a foregone conclusion that was going to come hours after Dallas’ meaningless win versus Washington in Week 17.
What then occurred was more than a week of delays that shockingly included multiple meetings with Garrett, as many around the league started to wonder if the Cowboys were actually considering giving Garrett an 11th year.
However, finally the team ended their marriage with Garrett on January 5th, and made their announcement of the hire of former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy official.
Check out the video above as King explains why Garrett’s situation was a very unique one, and a case that added an incredibly delicate layer of sentiment.