Former Cowboys coach Jason Garrett may be heading back to the sidelines and back to school all in one fell swoop.
Garrett is said to be a finalist for the head coaching vacancy at Stanford University, as reported by Stewart Mandel of The Athletic on Thursday. David Shaw, the winningest head coach in the history of the Cardinal, stepped down in late November following a second consecutive 3-9 season.
If Garrett gets the job, it could set up a fascinating clash next fall (and beyond) between Garrett and former Cowboys teammate Deion Sanders, who was just hired to be the next head coach at Colorado, also in the Pac-12 Conference.
Garrett coached the Cowboys from 2010 through the 2019 season, going 85-67 in that time and posting a 2-3 mark in the postseason. From Dallas, Garrett served as offensive coordinator with the Giants for less than two full seasons before being fired.
He was then rumored to be the frontrunner for the head job at Duke, but ultimately was not hired. Instead, Garrett shifted to the broadcast booth, working as an analyst for NBC Sports during USFL games and Notre Dame football games. This fall, he joined the network’s studio show on Sunday nights.
As a player, Garrett went undrafted out of Princeton in 1989. After stints with two CFL squads, he joined the Cowboys, where his father was in the scouting department. Garrett was a backup quarterback for most of his career, but won two Super Bowl rings behind Troy Aikman in the team’s dynasty days.
The highlight of his playing career came in 1994 when he got the start on Thanksgiving Day. The third-stringer improbably threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Cowboys to a dramatic 42-31 comeback win over Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers. Garrett also played for the Giants and spent time on the Buccaneers and Dolphins squads before retiring as a player.
The Athletic reports that, besides Garrett, Stanford is also considering Sacramento State head coach Troy Taylor for its head coaching duties.
According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, Garrett was scheduled to visit the school later this week.
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