FRISCO, Texas — The Jason Garrett era is over in Dallas. The Cowboys have officially parted ways with their longtime coach. Garrett’s contract formally expires on January 14th and the club made the expected decision to not renew his contract.
Throughout Garrett’s nine full seasons as head coach, the team made three playoff appearances. He replaced Wade Phillips as interim head coach in 2010, but throughout his tenure, the Cowboys failed to make it past the divisional round of playoffs. The 2019 season was the fourth time Dallas has finished 8-8 under Garrett. The team won two playoff games under his leadership and he concludes his time with Dallas with a record of 85-67.
Following the 2019 season, Garrett conducted final exit interviews with players and said final goodbyes to coaches, players, and staff members.
As players cleaned out their locker after the season’s disappointing end, many emotionally described the impact Jason Garrett has not only had on their football careers, but on their lives.
“ In reflection, I am very fortunate to have spent the time I did with Coach Garrett, “ Travis Frederick commented. “ Whether he is here next year or somewhere else next year, the group of men that he is going to be in front of will be better men and players because of him. “
Sean Lee gave his viewpoint on Garrett’s legacy in Dallas. He is a player who has been with Garrett since he was drafted in 2010 and Garrett became the interim coach. He stated, “ For me, it’s a guy who is an unbelievable coach, unbelievable person. He put his heart and soul into coaching. He believed in his players with his entire heart, forced us to be better than we could be in a lot of situations and made me believe that I could come back from a lot of injuries: from a knee, from a toe, from a neck injury; A guy who inspired me and made me a better football player than I thought I could be. So from my standpoint, an unbelievable football coach, an unbelievable guy, and a guy that I love.”
Garrett’s final message to the Cowboys prior to the week 17 game against Washington was an impactful message given to him by his high school football coach, Cliff Foust. Garrett realized his days were numbered and he gave the team more than just a pep talk, he gave them a heartfelt goodbye; a lesson in life to ‘stand tall,’ not just as football players on the gridiron, but as men through the good times and the bad.
Garrett told the media, “ He [Foust] coached me as hard as anyone has coached me in my life and the big thing was get back, get back, get back, stand tall, stand tall, stand tall. At the time I needed to get in the line of scrimmage faster and better and probably played too low, and he wanted me to stand up a little bit higher. It wasn’t until years later when I realized what he was talking about when he was saying stand tall. Stand tall through the successes in life; stand tall through the adversities in life…I shared with our guys last night, and challenged them to stand tall. Get your shoulders back, get your eyes forward, and go represent yourself the right way. Represent your family the right way, your coaches the right way, your teammates the right way.”
Whether you agree with his coaching style or not, there is no doubt the players love him and believed in his messages. He built the framework for the Cowboys over the last decade and dedicated himself to the betterment of the players under him. The best of luck to Jason Garrett in his future endeavors!!
