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1. Dallas Cowboys

As he coaches out the final year of his contract, every game is a referendum on Jason Garrett’s job security in Dallas. After a 37-10 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7, before which it was declared his job was not on the line as that speculation surfaced, Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones said he’s looking for reasons to keep Garrett.

I am looking for reasons. I’m looking for reasons to keep him,” “It’s merited here. It’s hard to get an effective coach and get it locked in with all you have to retool and redo. I’m comfortable. We have established some security apart from the won-loss. He represents the organization well on and off the field. You don’t have to wake up in the morning reading about it.

In many respects, and as a clear nod to how long he has lasted in the job, Garrett is the perfect head coach for a hands-on owner like Jones. Stephen Jones has taken on a greater role in recent years, but guys like Jimmy Johnson and Bill Parcells didn’t last as long as they probably should have as the head coach in Dallas based on what in hindsight seemed like a power struggle with management. Garrett knows his lane and stays there.

Harbaugh would be far more in the mold of Johnson, as someone who wants to be a driver of personnel matters with the requisite credit if or when it pays off big. Jerry Jones didn’t like the idea of sharing (or outright relinquishing) the credit for the Cowboys’ success back when Johnson was the coach, so he surely wouldn’t want someone like Harbaugh to come in and seize any credit now. That said, Jones likes attention and hiring Harbaugh would be a big splash for a franchise that already garners a lot of headlines. Among prospective NFL job openings, Dallas has to stand out to Harbaugh.

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