FRISCO, Texas — Cowboys’ offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore had been heavily linked to the vacant head coach position at Boise State, his alma mater where he became one of the winningest quarterbacks in college history. No surprise the two were synonymous with one another and Moore did express interest, but the Jones family swooped in with an offer he could not refuse at the NFL ranks.
Moore released a statement following the announcement on Saturday:
“I am very excited to remain with the Dallas Cowboys as the offensive coordinator. I will no longer be pursuing the head coaching job at Boise State. I love Boise State. I will always root for them, and I hope one day to be a part of the program again.”
“We are building something special here in Dallas. I am thankful to the Jones family and Mike McCarthy for providing me with the opportunity to coach these special players. I am excited for us to put it all together and finish the job.”
Moore has held the position for two seasons in Dallas and will remain with the silver and blue on a multiple-year contract extension. He has done an outstanding job calling plays and creating unique game plans throughout the chaotic 2020 season/ unprecedented number of injures that hit the Cowboys’ roster. He built a system to benefit the players available on the field, instead of trying to fit players into a traditional system. He pulled tricks up his sleeve for four different quarterbacks, a makeshift offensive line, and two different styled runners in Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard.
It is no surprise the front office lobbied to secure the talented young coach. Moore told media that he wants to be a head coach one day and that opportunity could certainly arise in the future at the pro level, similar to the career path of innovative offensive minds- Matt LaFleur. Sean McVay, and Kevin Stefanski.
The Cowboys got Moore locked up for several years, now it is time for the other famed name, quarterback Dak Prescott. Dallas choosing to retain Moore bodes well for Dak. Both Moore and Prescott have a close bond and the Cowboys have made it clear that Dak is the “future of the franchise” and it seems the pieces are falling into place. Dak is ahead of schedule in his rehab from the season-ending ankle injury and he will be ready to go for the offseason program. It remains to be seen whether that will be on a long-term deal or the franchise tag. The number of years on the long-term deal, four vs. five, is what stalled the deal being completed in July.
Prior to the injury, Prescott had set passing statistical records in every category in a career-high season and was on pace to shatter Peyton Manning’s single-season passing record with Moore as the coordinator. Keeping Moore will likely bring the other deal to fruition sooner rather than later following the season.
