Dan Quinn tipped to leave Cowboys for head coach job at NFC team

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The brains behind the Dallas Cowboys‘ outstanding defense could be back in a head coaching position next season.

Sports Illustrated reports that Dan Quinn will be a leading head coaching candidate for the Seattle Seahawks.

A few moving parts still need to happen before that rumour becomes reality.

Firstly, Pete Carroll is still the Seahawks head coach, signing until the end of the 2025 season.

He’s racked up more wins than anyone in Seahawks franchise history (135), leading them to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances and becoming a world champion in 2013.

Currently in his 14th season with the team, Carroll is the second-longest tenured NFL head coach with one team behind the Patriots, Bill Belichick.

At 72 years old, though, he’s also the oldest head coach in the NFL and could be nearing retirement.

Given everything he’s done in the Pacific Northwest and how comfortable Carroll is there, it’s difficult to envision him calling it quits.

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer recently spoke on the Rich Eisen Show about the possibility of Carroll retiring.

“Does Pete Carroll retire in Seattle? I don’t think so, but I’ve heard a lot over the last few weeks in these circles, like the people who work in these circles and the coaching carousel circles, that would Dan Quinn be the successor in Seattle if Pete Carroll were to hang it up after this year?” says Breer

Quinn’s Achievements in Big D

It’s no surprise to see Quinn’s name on the list of coaching candidates.

Many players have thrived under his system since he became the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator.

Dallas were among the worst defensively in 2020 before Quinn took over, but they’re now a top-10 unit across the board.

Changes in personnel on the field have played a part, with the team drafting Micah Parsons in 2021, but Quinn’s schemes have also made an undeniable impact.

In 2023, the Cowboys’ defense is one of only seven in the NFL to have allowed fewer than 300 yards per game (294.3), while they rank third in turnover differential (+9).

Quinn has brought out the best in players like Parsons and DaRon Bland.

He’s also got NFL head coaching experience, guiding the Atlanta Falcons to a Super Bowl appearance in the 2016 campaign.

In February 2022, Quinn became the NFL Assistant Coach of the Year.

The fact that the Cowboys have been able to retain his services for over two seasons, given his resume, is impressive.

Ties to Puget Sound

If Carroll retires, Quinn coming to Puget Sound makes sense.

After brief stints in San Francisco, Miami and the New York Jets, Quinn became an assistant and defensive line coach with the Seahawks under Jim Mora in January 2009.

He took on the same position in 2011 and 2012 with the Florida Gators before returning to the NFL.

Quinn served under Pete Carroll for the 2013 season, as the “Legion of Boom” allowed the fewest points (231), yards (4,378) and takeaways (39) with Seattle also winning their first and only Super Bowl to date.

Seattle is the first team to achieve all those feats in a single season since the 1985 Chicago Bears.

The Seahawks made the Super Bowl in his two seasons as defensive coordinator in 2013 and 2014.

Atlanta hired him as their new head coach a day after Seattle lost their world championship to the New England Patriots.

Whether in Seattle or elsewhere, Quinn will likely get his share of head coaching interviews in the New Year.