Dan Quinn's name was a hot one on the head-coaching market. He dumped a bucket of ice water over his own head Thursday.
Quinn has informed prospective teams he is staying with the Dallas Cowboys as their defensive coordinator, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported.
With this message delivery, Quinn has removed himself from consideration for four head coach openings across the NFL (Dolphins, Giants, Jaguars, Vikings). The former Atlanta Falcons head coach had received a half-dozen requests to interview for head-coaching jobs after spending just one season as a coordinator after he was fired from his head coaching position with Atlanta toward the end of the 2020 season; Chicago and Denver filled their vacancies Thursday with Matt Eberflus and Nathaniel Hackett, respectively.
Under Quinn's direction, the Cowboys' defense enjoyed a massive turnaround in 2021, transforming from an 11-man sieve in 2020 to an opportunistic unit that finished second in the NFL in interception rate and seventh in scoring defense. The reversal of fortunes was headlined by stellar play from second-year corner Trevon Diggs, who led the NFL in interceptions with 11, and a fantastic rookie season for linebacker Micah Parsons, who earned both Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro selections in his first NFL campaign.
The backwards hat-wearing Quinn became the face of Dallas' massive improvement, which put the Cowboy in a favorable position entering the postseason before an upset loss on Super Wild Card Weekend ended their season earlier than most anyone expected. Still, Quinn remained a hot target in the coaching carousel after proving he can guide a team toward defensive success, leading some to believe he'd soon be in charge of an NFL team once again.
That time will not come in 2022. Quinn will instead return to the Cowboys to pursue a Super Bowl they thought was very achievable in 2021 before their stunning defeat.
