'Say The Word, I'm Gone!': Dan Quinn Reveals Talk with Cowboys Coach Mike McCarthy

"There will be a time when I’m definitely interested” in being a head coach for the second time, said Quinn.

The Dallas Cowboys coaching staff has a chance to continue its 2021 success - even though head coach Mike McCarthy and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn had no previous history together - because they share a relatively ego-free agenda.

Said Quinn regarding his talk with McCarthy about his decision to remain with the Cowboys this offseason while spurning possible chances to again be a head coach elsewhere: "If it’s easier for to me go, just say the word and I’m gone.''

As CowboysSI.com was first to report, Quinn also remained with the Cowboys because he found a (financial?) comfort level with owner Jerry Jones to do so, and, as he told us, because "I have unfinished business here.''

But also key was McCarthy's willingness to selflessly work alongside an accomplished assistant who is now seen as a possible heir to the Cowboys top job should McCarthy somehow falter.

“I was like, ‘Hey man, let’s talk about it and see what you think,'” Quinn said of his talk with McCarthy in a USA Today visit. “‘If it’s easier for to me go, just say the word and I’m gone.

"Then (McCarthy) kind of laughed and said, ‘You know, if this was 10 years ago, I’d say, 'Yeah, it would help for you to go. But I don’t want to say that right now. Because I think winning is better with you here.'”

Jones has said his positioning of Quinn as an immediate head coach candidate in Dallas was a result of the owner "playing poker,'' trying to deceive potential suitors. That seems a bit of revisionist history. But in the end, McCarthy - who has the "Mike's my guy!'' support of QB Dak Prescott - feels secure enough in his skin to not bother being threatened.

And Quinn - touted as a "mastermind'' by his players - feels the same.

"There will be a time when I’m definitely interested” in being a head coach for the second time, said Quinn, who once coached the Atlanta Falcons to the Super Bowl, adding that he wasn’t “quite ready” to take that step this year.

Will the speculation continue? Sure, especially if McCarthy's Cowboys actually lose a game. Will there be back-stabbing in the coaches wing along the way? That, is seems, is not the way McCarthy and Quinn do their business.

Follow FishSports on Twitter

Follow Cowboys / Fish on Facebook

Subscribe to the Cowboys Fish Report on YouTube for constant daily Cowboys live-stream podcasts and reports!