THURSDAY, 2:48pm: The Cowboys have officially locked up Garrett to a five-year extension, the team announced today (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 5:13pm: It’s a done deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Garrett’s deal is worth $30MM over five years.
4:37pm: The Cowboys and Garrett have officially agreed upon a new contract, tweets Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com.
4:13pm: According to the Cowboys’ official website, Garrett and the Cowboys are “very close” to finalizing a five-year deal in the $30MM range.
2:25pm: The Cowboys and Jason Garrett are on the brink of reaching an agreement on a five-year contract for the head coach, reports Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (via Twitter). A new five-year deal for Garrett would keep him locked up through the 2019 season.
Garrett, who took over as the Cowboys’ head coach midway through the 2010 campaign, finished with an 8-8 record in each of his full three seasons with the team. With no playoff appearances or winning seasons on his resumé coming into the 2014 season, Garrett was allowed to coach the club in a final year of his contract, a rarity in the NFL — teams will usually extend a head coach prior to his contract year, rather than letting him play out a “lame duck” season.
In Garrett’s case, perhaps the implied win-or-else nature of the season paid off. Projected by many experts as a sub-.500 team, the Cowboys went 12-4 in 2014, winning the NFC East and a postseason game before falling in a tight divisional playoff contest to the Packers. The 12-win season improved Garrett’s overall record to 41-31 in regular season games, and he’s now 1-1 in the playoffs.
Once the Cowboys officially finalize the details on a new contract for Garrett, the team will presumably move on to locking up its assistants. We heard earlier today that defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli would like to remain with the club, and I imagine Dallas would like to bring back offensive assistants Scott Linehan and Bill Callahan as well. Those coaches figure to draw interest from other suitors around the league, so it remains to be seen whether or not they’ll stick with the Cowboys, but a new deal for Garrett is a good start.