With a decision on the future of head coach Jason Garrett looming and the Monday after Week 17 typically serving as the day to make such a decision, the Dallas Cowboys have instead spent the time in meetings.
The final verdict: No announcement on Garrett coming Monday.
The day began with player exit interviews and a team meeting followed, in which NFL Network's Jane Slater reported Garrett used phrases that suggested a permanent departure rather than a mere end to another season. Garrett later met with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and vice president Stephen Jones for roughly an hour.
There were rumblings that the entire Dallas coaching staff had been fired, but Slater pointed toward Garrett's meeting with his staff -- in which he told them they were free to pursue openings elsewhere if their contracts were set to expire -- as a possible cause for confusion. No one has been fired at this time.
Garrett returned to the Cowboys' facility Tuesday morning and has a meeting planned with the Joneses in the afternoon, Slater reported.
Dallas finished 8-8 in 2019, a massive disappointment for a team with enough talent to make a playoff run. Questions have swirled around Garrett's job security for more than a month, with Monday anticipated as the day we might receive a resolution to the uncertainty. Center Travis Frederick reflected on his time playing under Garrett, saying he felt "very fortunate to have spent the time that I did with Coach Garrett."
"Whether he's here next year, or somewhere else next year, the group of men that he's going to be in front of will be better men and better players because of it," Frederick said.
A key detail from Garrett's meeting with his staff might help guide us on when to expect such a decision. Per Slater's report, Garrett told his coaches this situation would be sorted out in the next 24 to 48 hours.
As Slater said in her report, Garrett seems to know his fate and is attempting to give his staff a heads up before it becomes official. We'll continue to wait for the organization's final decision.
