Report: Cowboys DC Dan Quinn to decline Jaguars interview for now

Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn was up front this week when asked about the notion of him once again becoming a head coach in the NFL. The former Falcons coach said he wasn’t using the Dallas DC job as a stepping-stone or resume-builder after five-plus years with the Falcons, but he also admitted, “If those moments come, I’ll be ready for them if the right scenario came about.”

The Jaguars requested permission to interview Quinn during the new two-week in-season window, but according to a new report from NFL insider Adam Schefter, Quinn has decided Jacksonville is not the right scenario… at least right now.

“I wasn’t coming here to look at what my next job would be,” Quinn told reporters on Monday following the Cowboys’ 56-14 win over Washington. “I wanted to come in here and have a blast and hopefully kick ass and make an impact.”

That he has. Quinn took over a unit that was statistically the worst in franchise history and transformed it over the course of a single offseason into one of the league’s most ferocious. He even took over head coaching duties for one game while Mike McCarthy was out with COVID.

Quinn is a big believer in “being where your feet are,” as he puts it. And his feet are in the middle of prepping for two more regular season games and focusing on a promising postseason run in Dallas.

“I’m having a blast right here with this crew and going for it,” Quinn continued. “That’s where my mind is, that’s where my heart is. I don’t really spend a lot of time thinking about down the road or what’s next. I just like really being in the moment with the guys.”

Quinn, 51, may get back to being the top man in charge with another club at some point. Maybe even next season. And it could even be with the Jaguars.

Bobby Belt of 105.3 The Fan adds that Quinn could still interview for the Jacksonville job, but that he will more likely wait until after the regular season has been completed.

New rules this season allow teams to interview assistants from other clubs (with proper permission) during the Week 17-18 window.

“For me, kind of getting back to being in the meeting rooms, getting into the teaching, being out on the field, getting to do individual with the guys, it’s been a blast. I definitely have enjoyed it,” Quinn explained this week. “When you get let go, some of the joy is gone. You put your heart and soul in it… by me coming here and being a part of this, I recaptured a lot of that: what I love about coaching, all of the energy that goes into it. So my wife Stacey and I are having a blast here to do it. But to get back to the level of coaching and connection with the guys, it’s been all that I hoped it would be here.”

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