Did Sunday’s loss ultimately seal Jason Garrett's fate? Fans hope so.
After burying the memory of a three-game losing streak with two consecutive 30-plus wins, Sunday’s loss to the Vikings — which, if you ask us, was lost in the first quarter, not the fourth — reopened the burning question by Dallas Cowboys fans, “Is it time to move on from Jason Garrett as head coach?” And with fans, the answer is, “Hell yes, right now.”
In October, following the back-to-back losses to the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets, a disgruntled Cowboys fan created a GoFundMe campaign called “Jason Garrett to be fired immediately,” which would raise capital, supported by fellow dissatisfied Cowboys fans, to pay out the remaining balance on the 53-year-old coach’s contract and terminate him as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys immediately. Speaking for all Cowboys fans, the campaign included the following description:
“This campaign is on behalf of all the Dallas Cowboys fans who are fed up with Jason Garrett and it’s time we just let him go. We are raising money because we do not want to wait until the end of the season and he should be fired immediately and the money raised will go to the remaining money due to be paid to Garrett. We have some hope to get a coach to fire this team up and salvage us into the playoffs. There is too much talent on this organization to be a 3-3 team and enough is enough.”
Short-lived, the GoFundMe campaign was inactivated after the Cowboys beat the Eagles in Week 7. Before the GoFundMe, 59 petitions were created between 2017 to present on Change.org with the title “Fire Jason Garrett.”
Jason Garrett signed a $30 million dollar, five-year contract with the Cowboys in 2015. To buy out the rest of his contract, fans would have to generate, ideally, the last $6 million to pay out the remainder, not including bonuses and other incentives. The transaction would be a first; never in NFL history has a fan base brought out a head coach’s contract. The only way Garrett can be removed as head coach is by Jerry Jones and the Cowboys front office.
Garrett is in the final year of his five-year contract with the organization, which has received no official word of a contract extension. Taking the reins in 2011 as head coach, after joining the Cowboys in 2007, Garrett was the 2016 NFL Coach of the Year. To date, his record with the organization as head coach is 80-60, with three NFC East championships.“Jerry Jones needs to swallow his pride and get rid of Jason Garrett." – tweet by Mike D of the Hot106’s Hot Morning Show
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After the Vikings loss, Cowboys fans flooded social media with the “Fire Jason Garrett” chants. Along with the fans, analysts, sports reporters and radio personalities shared their thoughts on the Cowboys' coaching and direction heading into the rest of the 2019-20 season.
Pointing out Garrett’s constant inability to accept fault in any of the team’s losses, on Monday, 105.3 The Fan’s Jeff Cavanaugh tweeted, “I’ve heard everyone’s names except Jason Garrett’s. JG pointed the finger a lot today but never in his direction. I’ve always been a fan and appreciated his approach and the loyalty of his players but where’s the accountability?” NFL Network’s Jane Slater concurred with Cavanaugh’s tweet with the comment, “... Nailing this right now.”
Other fan reactions after Sunday’s loss included: “Sadly @dallascowboys & #jerryjones, it’s time,” as DFWCitizen tweeted. “It’s time we do something different at the coaching position. Let’s not waste more time & let another year slip away. Otherwise, America may start shopping for a new team.”
“We need to boycott the Cowboys until Jason Garrett is fired. There is too much talent on this team to be 5-4,” said Kev80 on Twitter.
One Cool Customer tweeted, “I don't care how the season ends for the Cowboys, Jason Garrett has got to go.”
“Lost in all the hubbub of the way the game ended, is the way the game started,” Dallas Mavericks’ announcer Chuck Cooperstein tweeted. “Of everything that can be said about Jason Garrett and the staff, their inability to have their team ready and almost always having to play from behind is the most damning indictment of them.”
Statistically, Cowboys are 4-0 in the NFC East. They are the top offense in the NFL and No. 4 in both passing and rushing. Stacked with premier stars on the verge of their prime, right now, the Cowboys are a Super Bowl-caliber team.
Realistically, Garrett looks to be a mainstay, based on his unwavering support from Cowboys owner and front office. The contract extension is still pending while there are rumors of Jones meeting with University of Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley about joining the Cowboys next year. Jones has publicly expressed undying loyalty to his current coaching staff.
Jerry Jones spoke on Garrett’s future with the Cowboys to NBC Sports in October, stating, “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.”
While the front office loves Garrett, for fans, his poor play-calling — at least indirectly, through offensive coordinator Kellen Moore — is destined to ruin the promising, All-Pro careers of quarterback Dak Prescott, who is patiently awaiting his new contract, and highest-paid running back Ezekiel Elliott. Lore says that it's in this way that past Cowboys greats, like quarterback Tony Romo and wide receiver Dez Bryant, fell from glory.
“Jerry Jones needs to swallow his pride and get rid of Jason Garrett. This is the most talent the #Cowboys have had on both sides of the ball in a LONG time,” tweets Mike D of Hot106’s Hot Morning Show. “All either in their prime or entering it. It will all go to waste with that man as HC. Period. Another game thrown.”
NFL writer Johnny Kinsley tweeted, “Fire Jason Garrett. Dak had one of the best games of his career and he took it out of his hands.”
“Imagine wasting Tony Romo’s entire career by having Jason Garrett as your HC,” Jase of The Bottomline Wrestling Podcast also tweeted. “Then getting a new young QB and DOING THE EXACT SAME SHIT.”
Ready to bounce back once again, November could see America’s favorite team remain No. 1 in the division, with games against the lower standing Lions (3-4) and Bills (6-2), with only serious opposition coming from the AFC No. 1 New England Patriots (8-1), leaving the Bears (4-5), Rams (5-4), Eagles (5-4) and Redskins (1-8) to contend with in December.
Unlike the Cowboys Cheerleaders, there is no place for Garrett inside the Cowboys organization anymore. Eight seasons under Garrett’s regime of misguidance, mismanagement and miscommunication have not gone unnoticed, unbothered nor unforgotten by fans.
A consensus seems to indicate that it would like to express appreciation for Garrett’s efforts with the Cowboys but inform him that his services are no longer required after the season and wish him good luck in future endeavors.
Dallas Cowboys play the Detroit Lions at noon Sunday, Nov. 17. Watch on Fox. Get ready for Cowboys football with our Dallas-centric playlist.
