**UPDATED on Jan. 2 at 4:08pm CST:

According to Calvin Watkins of The Athletic, the Cowboys have given the Jets permission to interview Kris Richard. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports the Miami Dolphins have requested an interview, and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network states the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have also stepped forward with interest.

Read more here on when the interviews are likely to take place, and how the process works.**

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It begins.

Black Monday has arrived around the NFL, and it's seen a list of head coaches being shown the door by their respective teams. At the time of this article going to print, eight head coaches in all are newly unemployed, and that means there's a slew of teams scouring for possible replacements. While there remain a list of candidates from around both the NFL and NCAA who are catching eyes, not many carry the shine of Dallas Cowboys' new passing game coordinator Kris Richard.

The former engineer of the legendary Legion of Boom defense in Seattle landed in North Texas this past offseason, and has been key in helping the Cowboys' defense become one of the best in the league. That being the reality, it's no surprise teams will seek to have a word with him in their hunt for a new coach.

According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the first shoe has dropped, with the New York Jets reportedly seeking permission from the Cowboys to interview Richard. The Jets fired Todd Bowles at the conclusion of their 26-6 loss in Week 17 to the New England Patriots, the team finishing the year having lost nine of their last 11 games. It's unclear if the Jets are looking to possibly add him to their staff as an assistant or as the head coach, and that matters a great deal.

Richard has garnered a ton of respect from around the league, and if the Cowboys want to keep him onboard, they'll have to make it worth his while. Per NFL rules, however, they can veto the request by the Jets and any other team right now, making it no guarantee anyone outside of Dallas will have access to him during the playoffs and while he's still under contract. That gives the Cowboys the definitive edge in keeping him longterm, along with other variables they used to attract him to the position in the first place.

There's a caveat though, because if the Jets are interviewing him for the head coaching job, the Cowboys can't say no because it's not a lateral move.

Seven days after Richard was sent packing by the Seahawks, I penned a column on why he was the perfect fit for the Cowboys, despite others either not yet seeing the benefit -- or outright alluding to Richard being "leftovers" the Cowboys shouldn't pursue. The organization was thankfully smarter than your favorite talking head and/or keyboard slapper, and five days after my column went to print, Richard was on a flight to Frisco, TX to sign his new employment contract. Fast forward to Week 15 and he's the toast of the Metroplex, having also won over those who see the light in hindsight, but still not quite seeing his stock hit fever pitch -- until now.

"He's a young guy [with] great energy," cornerback Byron Jones told me this past offseason. "He wears his cleats out there, running patterns with us and stuff. He's got good quickness out there. He's suiting up in the cleats and everything. ...It's just energy.

"He's out there with us, and he makes a point about that. My coach is out here doing drills with me. The wide receivers can't do nothing on us.

"...We're just having fun with his energy and the talent he brings. He brings a lot of juice to this team and we all appreciate that."

Current defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli agrees wholeheartedly, heaping praise onto Richard whenever he gets the chance.

"It’s awesome," Marinelli said, via Clarence Hill, Jr. of Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "Everything he does I admire. The loyalty, the work ethic, the intelligence, the teaching, the inspiring – it’s special. It’s fun to come to work every day when you are around good people.

"He’s a special coach."

Indeed he is, and that's why the Jets want him -- as will others in the near future.