The Dallas Cowboys once again entered the season with high expectations, and Troy Aikman believes head coach Jason Garrett will have to either meet or exceed them if he wants to remain with the team in 2020.
Garrett showed a great deal of frustration on the sideline during Sunday’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, which led to Aikman talking on the FOX broadcast about the pressure the coach is under this season. Aikman said there is a feeling in Cowboys circles that Garrett has to lead the team to the NFC Championship Game or better in order to keep his job.
“There’s a lot of pressure mounting for this Cowboys team,” Aikman said. “There certainly is on Jason Garrett. The expectations coming into the season — no contract, he’s in his last year. A lot of people believe he’s got to get to the NFC Championship Game for him to get a new contract.”
Sunday’s game was enough to test Garrett’s patience from the outset, as the Cowboys were driving into Green Bay territory early when Dak Prescott threw one of his three interceptions. The game instantly turned from there, and it was all Packers the rest of the way. Garrett got into it with an official at one point over whether or not he should throw a challenge flag, and he ended up drawing a penalty on a later play for spiking the red flag at the official’s feet.
Garrett has grown used to talk of him being on the hot seat during his 10 or so years as the head coach in Dallas, but Jerry Jones has never expressed anything less than full confidence in him. That said, we all know money talks. If Jones had no doubts about Garrett, he would have extended his contract instead of letting him enter a lame duck year.
The assumption that Garrett needs to reach the NFC Championship Game to keep his job may be a bit extreme, but the Cowboys certainly need to make the playoffs. If they don’t, it will be almost impossible to justify giving Garrett an extension.
