Cowboys Insider Shuts Down Brian Schottenheimer Claim On Coaching 'Agreement'

The Dallas Cowboys are preparing to fly off to Oxnard, California, in a matter of weeks to kick off training camp ahead of the 2026 NFL season. It will be Brian Schottenheimer's second season leading the team, and he's hoping to lead Dallas back to the playoffs.

Ahead of his second season as head coach, Schottenheimer appeared on "The Twins Take Podcast" and made headlines with an interesting claim.

Schottenheimer said that he had an agreement in place to remain with the Cowboys coaching staff after the team fired Mike McCarthy, even if it wasn't in the role of head coach.

However, longtime Cowboys insider Ed Werder is refuting those claims.

Brian Schottenheimer Was Preparing For Exit?

#Cowboys Brian Schottenheimer was going to be the team’s next offensive coordinator, regardless of whether he became the head coach or not.

“…so what we had did is while they’re going through the process, because there’s a process, right? I wasn’t sure and there was a number of… pic.twitter.com/0rTbUznR95
— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) July 5, 2026

Schottenheimer was ultimately hired after the Cowboys also interviewed Leslie Frazier, Robert Saleh, and Kellen Moore. But he said during the podcast that he was going to stay in Dallas no matter what.

"So, what we did is while they were going through the process -- 'cause there's a process, right? I wasn't sure, and there was a number of other teams -- saying this very humbly -- that were courting me and trying to say, 'Hey, we want you to come be our coordinator,'" Schottenheimer said. "And so, you know, after just talking it over with Stephen and Jerry, like, OK, while we figure this out and you guys go through the interview process, which there's a thorough interview process you have to go through.

"We had made an agreement that I would stay here no matter what. And I didn't want to leave. ... I really wanted to be the head coach and put our fingerprint, our blueprint on it. And that's what God had planned."

The comments contradict what Schottenheimer has previously said during an appearance with Werder on the Doomsday podcast.

Not true. Stephen told me there was no way to have McCarthy return and keep Schotty.
Schotty last July on our Doomsday podcast 1-on-1: “I figured that they were going to work it all out. I'll be quite transparent. I was planning on leaving because I wanted to go call the plays… https://t.co/dQMOsJotLB
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdNFL) July 10, 2026

“I figured that they were going to work it all out. I'll be quite transparent. I was planning on leaving because I wanted to go call the plays someplace else. And sometimes when your contract expires, you have those opportunities," Schottenheimer said at the time.

"So, you know, I was planning on, okay, Mike, you know, good luck with everything. And I was, you know, surprised when it didn't work out.”

Luckily, the Cowboys were able to hire Schottenheimer as head coach, and now we are waiting to see how it will all play out. Year two will tell us a lot about the direction the Cowboys are heading, and whether Schottenheimer is the right guy for the team's long-term future.

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