Cowboys vice president of player personnel Will McClay will no longer be fielding requests from other teams and will remain in Dallas for at least another season. The Washington Commanders, Carolina Panthers, and Los Angeles Chargers had all requested permission to speak to McClay about their open general manager positions, but none will apparently be able to pry him away from Texas.
“I talked to a couple of people, but I didn’t want to waste anybody’s time,” McClay said, per the team website. “I am committed to being here.”
The 57-year-old has one year remaining on his current contract with the Cowboys.
McClay first arrived in Dallas in 2003 as a scout before becoming a pro scouting coordinator in 2009. In 2011, McClay became the team’s director of football research and later added the director of player personnel title in 2014. He does not carry the official title of general manager in Dallas, which is occupied by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones,but McClay essentially carries those responsibilities, as his opinion and expertise are highly respected in Dallas.
“He’s very important to our operation, without a doubt. The most important thing you want in an organization is, when things are right, to build off of consistency,” said head coach Mike McCarthy.
“This is obviously great for the Dallas Cowboys.”
Other than the rumored monetary compensation and the unfinished business of building a team, McClay may have had other reasons to stay not related to the football field.
Can confirm that Cowboys VP player personnel Will McClay is not proceeding with interview requests for open GM roles. “Flattered by the interest” but “staying put” as he committed to his son, Gabe.
Gabe will be a senior in high school next year.
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) January 12, 2024
In his first draft, McClay oversaw the Cowboys draft operation in 2014 and selected a likely first-ballot Hall of Fame player in guard Zack Martin. In the second round, Dallas completed a trade with division rival Washington, netting them defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence. Quarterback Dak Prescott, pass rusher Micah Parsons, wideout CeeDee Lamb, and cornerback Trevon Diggs are just a few of the elite players McClay helped bring to Dallas.
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Collectively, the selection of those 86 players in his ten drafts has yielded 10 first-team All Pro and 33 Pro Bowl selections. That doesn’t even include undrafted free agents such as the recently added return man KaVonte Turpin and kicker Brandon Aubrey.
With McClay back in the fold, perhaps others in the building could opt to stay another year, too.
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