Steve Sarkisian

Steve Sarkisian Agrees To Texas Extension

January 18th, 2025 at 7:52pm CST by Adam La Rose

One of the college coaches who has been listed as a name to watch for the 2025 NFL hiring cycle is Steve Sarkisian. He will not be making the jump to the pro game at this time, however.

Sarkisian has agreed to an extension at Texas, Brett McMurphy of Action Network and ESPN’s Pete Thamel report. One year has been added to his existing pact, meaning he is now set to remain with the school through 2031. That could of course change with renewed interest from the NFL, but for at least one more campaign he will carry on at the helm of the Longhorns.

Interestingly, McMurphy’s report notes Sarkisian turned down a pair of interview requests from NFL teams seeking a head coach. Six vacancies are currently in place around the league (Bears, Cowboys, Jaguars, Raiders, Saints, Jets), although Dallas was not among the teams to reach out as an expression of interest as of earlier this week. David Moore of the Dallas Morning News confirms the Cowboys were not one of the two clubs to request an interview.

Presuming the Patriots did not reach out prior to making the anticipated move of hiring Mike Vrabel, that leaves Chicago, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, New Orleans and New York as the group which produced a pair of interview requests. Prior to the conclusion of the regular season, a report noted interest in Sarkisian was expected for this year’s hiring cycle. That proved to be the case, something which obviously helped his leverage in negotiating an extension. As Thamel notes, Sarkisian secured a “significant raise” with this new deal.

The 50-year-old has been at Texas since 2021, amassing a 38-17 record during that span. Sarkisian has guided the Longhorns to the CFP seminals each of the past two seasons, and expectations will remain high for the program moving forward. Also a previous head coach at Washington and USC, Sarkisian’s coaching resume includes a two-year run as the Falcons’ offensive coordinator (2017-18). A return to the NFL could be in the cards down the road, but that will not be the case next season.

Deion Sanders Still In Play For Cowboys?

January 16th, 2025 at 11:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Deion Sanders has repeatedly said he is not interested in coaching in the NFL, but the Hall of Fame cornerback also admitted speaking with Jerry Jones about the Cowboys’ job brought intrigue. Despite Sanders attempting to reaffirm his commitment to Colorado shortly after the Jones conversation became public, rumblings about an NFL path persist.

Sanders’ Monday comments pointed to the Big 12 leader staying at the college level, but WFAA’s Ed Werder cautions this might not be a done deal yet. If Jones were to offer Sanders the Dallas job, Werder adds the popular HC would almost definitely accept. Some Sanders associates are also believed to be backing a push from the coach to land this job, and Jones is believed to be “enamored” with the idea of what would be an unorthodox hire.

Arguably the best cornerback in NFL history, Sanders played five seasons with Dallas. After swinging the NFL’s power balance to San Francisco upon signing there in 1994, Sanders’ pivot to Dallas restored Jones’ franchise as the NFL’s premier team via a Super Bowl XXX win. Sanders has maintained a good relationship with the owner and certainly understands the team’s culture. Though, Colorado contract talks are also a central component here.

Sanders is two seasons into a five-year Buffaloes deal, and NFL.com’s Jane Slater reports an extension is potentially on the table. Denver7’s Troy Renck also alludes to a Colorado extension being key in Sanders’ offseason. It would cost roughly $10MM for the Cowboys to get Sanders out of his current Buffaloes contract, per Slater, with that number reducing in future years. Skepticism about Jones paying a buyout also emerged earlier this week, pertaining to Bill Belichick‘s $10MM North Carolina buyout.

This would be a way to create leverage, and the 57-year-old coach certainly has a past maximizing such opportunities — as the 1995 free agency sweepstakes remind. Deion will also see son Shedeur leave his program for the NFL this year. No realistic opportunity to coach his son in the pros, a prospect the former Jackson State HC has said would appeal to him, would exist in Dallas, with Dak Prescott signing the NFL’s most lucrative deal back in September.

The Cowboys’ interest in Sanders is “absolutely real,” according to Slater, and while this is one of the country’s highest-profile coaching jobs, it also features steady Jones influence since the owner doubles as the team’s GM. Jones regularly addresses the media, which other GMs do not do, and has played an omnipresent role during McCarthy and past Dallas HCs’ tenures. Sanders would seemingly enjoy a greater level of autonomy in Boulder.

Jones also asked McCarthy to reduce his staff previously, Slater notes, offering another potential complication. As Sanders does not call plays and has only coached in major college football for two seasons, a high-profile assistant crop may be necessary were Jones to sign off on this. Jones is not known for high payments to coaches.

Steve Sarkisian has come up as a potential NFL option, despite his struggles as Falcons OC in the late 2010s, but Slater adds Jones has not contacted the Texas HC yet. The Cowboys have reached out to their former OC, Kellen Moore, with an official interview request. Moore would be a more conventional hire than Sanders, but the latter obviously would generate considerably more interest in the team. And it does not appear the Sanders-to-Dallas path is closed just yet.

Mike McCarthy Fallout: Failed Negotiations, Cowboys Candidates, McCarthy Suitors

January 13th, 2025 at 9:45pm CST by Ben Levine

The Mike McCarthy era in Dallas finally came to an end today, as the team announced that they wouldn’t be re-signing their head coach. With McCarthy’s contract set to expire tomorrow, the two sides were reportedly negotiating the terms of a new deal. However, it sounds like true contract talks never took place.

In a statement, owner Jerry Jones clearly stated that he made the determination to move on from McCarthy before any contract talks could commence.

“Over the past week, Mike [McCarthy] and I had the opportunity to conduct a joint review of all aspects of the past season, our players and staff, and also spent considerable time discussing the road forward for the team,” Jones said (via Jon Machota of The Athletic). “These discussions were thorough and received an appropriate amount of time and depth to cover. Prior to reaching the point of contract negotiations, though, it became mutually clear that it would be better for each of us to head in a different direction.”

While Jones’ statement was pretty clear, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero slightly pushes back at the notion that the two sides never discussed a new contract. Pelissero somewhat points to semantics, noting that “contract negotiations” would signal a definitive exchange of proposals (vs. the informal “talks”). Either way, the reporter believes the two sides did indeed discuss a path forward but ultimately couldn’t agree on contract length.

It didn’t take long for the Cowboys to start preparing for their impending head coaching search. According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the team’s decision makers took part in “inclusive hiring training” this afternoon, only hours after news broke of the McCarthy divorce. Soon, we’ll start hearing of some definitive candidates, but the rumor mill is already churning with potential names. Deion Sanders has already been linked to the Cowboys, and there are some initial rumblings surrounding other big names.

Predictably, the biggest name on the market will be connected to the offseason’s biggest vacancy. Sources told Jonathan Jones that Bill Belichick could be towards the top of the organization’s list of candidates, and sources also told the reporter that the iconic HC would have interest in the Dallas gig if it became available. While Belichick’s UNC contract includes a $10MM buyout, sources believe that penalty wouldn’t stop owners from pursuing the future Hall of Famer. Still, many reporters (including Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com) are skeptical that Jones would be willing to pay for a buyout…a relevant note in their potential pursuits of Belichick and Sanders.

Jonathan Jones also suggests that the Cowboys could look to the college ranks for another candidate: Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian. The long-time college coach has never held the HC role in the NFL, although he did have a stint as the Falcons offensive coordinator. Sarkisian would also require a buyout. Among current NFL coaches, two popular names are also expected to be on the team’s list of candidates. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport says Eagles OC Kellen Moore is a name to watch. Moore, of course, finished his playing career with the Cowboys before moving to the sideline, where he worked his way up from QBs coach to offensive coordinator.

The Cowboys will presumably also have interest in Lions Ben Johnson, but the team missed their window to interview the popular HC candidate. As Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz notes, the Cowboys will now have to wait until Detroit is knocked out of the playoffs until they can talk to Johnson about their vacancy. Fortunately, Jonathan Jones notes that Johnson shut down communication with teams following the first round of interviews, as the coordinator is now solely focused on Detroit’s playoff run. So, if the Cowboys do truly have interest in Johnson, it shouldn’t take a whole lot for the team to make up ground on their competition.

As for McCarthy, the veteran head coach has reportedly already scheduled an interview with the Bears, and NFL Network’s Jane Slater says Chicago’s interest is “very real.” ESPN’s Adam Schefter says the Saints are also expected to show interest in McCarthy; New Orleans was listed as a potential landing spot for the coach before his ouster in Dallas.

The rest of McCarthy’s staff is also free to speak with teams starting today, per Albert Breer of SI.com. Practically the entire Cowboys staff had expiring contracts, and Slater notes that there were some assistants who grew tired of the lack of uncertainty over their futures. It sounds like that includes Mike Zimmer, as the defensive coordinator has contemplated retirement, per ESPN’s Jeff Darlington. Zimmer just joined the Cowboys last offseason, and it was believed that his status with the organization would be tied to McCarthy’s status.

NFL Interest In Steve Sarkisian?

January 5th, 2025 at 7:17pm CST by Ely Allen

In a leadup to today’s final regular season games, and in anticipation of the infamous Black Monday to follow, ESPN’s Adam Schefter did a deep dive on some of the latest rumors on the upcoming coaching carousel. In this deep dive, Schefter claimed that he expects there to be interest from some NFL teams in University of Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian. Let’s take our own look at this possibility.

Sarkisian, affectionately referred to as “Sark” by many in the media, has been the head coach in Austin for the last four years. A former dual-sport athlete in high school, Sarkisian chose baseball as the sport to follow in college, walking on at USC. After struggling in Division I, he transferred to El Camino College, a junior college at which he was encouraged to go back to football. After being named a JuCo All-American, he transferred once again to BYU. After graduation, Sarkisian’s playing career ended following three average years in the Canadian Football League.

Immediately following the end of his playing career, Sarkisian went back to one of his alma mater’s, El Camino, to coach quarterbacks. The next year, he went to another of his former schools, taking the same job at USC coaching quarterbacks like Carson Palmer, Matt Cassel, and Matt Leinart; Palmer would become a No. 1 overall draft selection in 2003, and Leinart would be drafted in the top 10 in 2006.

After three years in the role, Sarkisian got his first NFL opportunity, taking the same role with the Raiders in Oakland in 2004 under then-head coach Norv Turner. He only coached over quarterbacks Kerry Collins and Rich Gannon for a year before returning to USC as quarterbacks coach in 2005, just missing out on a national championship with the Trojans. He finished out the career of Leinart and remained at USC until 2008, getting promoted to assistant head coach/offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach in 2007. Over that time, he also coached future No. 5 overall pick Mark Sanchez.

Following his success molding quarterbacks in Los Angeles, Sarkisian got his first head coaching gig at the University of Washington. In five years in Seattle, Sarkisian never found much team success, going 34-29 with his best year being an 8-4 campaign in his final season. His time their did result in quarterback Jake Locker getting drafted No. 8 overall in 2011, though.

Despite a contract extension that would’ve kept Sarkisian in Seattle until 2015, the new head coach opted to head back home to California, accepting the newly open head coaching gig at USC, replacing an ousted Lane Kiffin. Sarkisian only lasted two years in the job himself, getting fired due to suspicions of being intoxicated on the job. Sarkisian claimed to have mixed alcohol with medication, but multiple reports indicated that he simply imbibed too much alcohol on multiple occasions.

This started a road of Sarkisian working his way back to a head coaching responsibility. He took a job in 2016 as an offensive assistant at Alabama, eventually replacing Kiffin as the interim offensive coordinator when Kiffin left to become head coach at Florida Atlantic. The next year, then-Falcons head coach Dan Quinn hired Sarkisian on as offensive coordinator in Atlanta. In 2017 under Sarkisian, the Falcons offense finished 15th in points scored and eighth in total yards. The next year, Atlanta’s offense was 10th in points and sixth in total yards, but these were still considered regressions from 2016 when the team was first in points and second in yards, and Sarkisian was dismissed.

This sent Sarkisian back to Tuscaloosa, where he officially got the role of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach of the Crimson Tide. In his two years back at Alabama, Sarkisian took over the tutelage of first-round picks Tua Tagovailoa (No. 5 overall) and Mac Jones (No. 15), coaching over Jones’ incredible 4,500-yard, 41-touchdown, four-interception season with a 77.4 completion percentage in 2020.

This led Sarkisian to his third opportunity at a head coaching job, this one with the Longhorns. It took him a moment to find success in Austin, going 5-7 in his first season, but in 2022, transfer quarterback Quinn Ewers came to Texas and the team returned to their winning ways. Last year, the Longhorns made the four-team College Football Playoff for the first time, falling to the eventual runners-up of the season and his former team, the Huskies.

This year, Texas was dominant for much the year, falling only twice (both times to Georgia). They made the 12-team College Football Playoff, and after two wins against Clemson and Arizona State, they have advanced to the semi-finals for the second time in a row. They will play Ohio State this weekend and, if they win, will play the winner of a matchup between Penn State and Notre Dame for a national championship title.

The prospect of Sarkisian getting head coaching interest in the NFL is certainly an intriguing one. His history with alcohol abuse will be an obvious red flag in interviews, but he seems to have distanced himself from such issues with his time at Alabama, Atlanta, and Texas and has perhaps earned back some good will. His time in Austin has been his longest stint in one place since his five years with Washington, and his turnaround of the Longhorns’ program has certainly been impressive.

He’s considered a respected offensive name in the football world and has shown a strong ability as a head coach in recent years. As a molder of many NFL quarterbacks over the years, he could be an ideal fit for a team fielding a young quarterback or looking to draft one. It will be interesting to see where he draws interviews in the coming weeks.

Steve Sarkisian Won’t Be Joining Cardinals As OC

January 12th, 2019 at 7:15pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

UPDATE 8:07 PM: Sarkisian was in fact offered the job by the Cardinals, but turned it down to go back to coach under Nick Saban at Alabama, according to Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

7:15PM: We heard yesterday that the Cardinals were “closing in on” Steve Sarkisian to be their new offensive coordinator, but that’s apparently no longer the case. Sarkisian is now “unlikely to be joining Kliff Kingsbury’s staff”, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).

It’s unclear what made the talks break down, but it looks like Sark won’t be headed to the desert. Kingsbury was hired earlier this week in one of the biggest surprise coaching hires of the cycle. The team hired Vance Joseph to be their defensive coordinator yesterday. Sarkisian was fired as the Falcons’ offensive coordinator after Atlanta had a disappointing 7-9 season.

Before that, Sarkisian was the offensive coordinator at Alabama and head coach at USC. He’s also been linked to the Lions’ OC opening, so it’s highly possible he’ll still land a gig. Matt Ryan still put up good numbers in Sarkisian’s offense, but red zone efficiency was always a problem, and the team struggled to run the ball.

Things just never looked the same for Atlanta’s offense after Kyle Shanahan left, and Sarkisian quickly drew the ire of fans. It’ll be interesting to see who Kingsbury hires instead, as they’ve also been linked to Texas State coach Jake Spavital, as well as former Giants coach Ben McAdoo.

Cardinals Closing In On Steve Sarkisian For OC

January 11th, 2019 at 1:24pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cardinals are nearing a deal to make Steve Sarkisian their new offensive coordinator, according to Chris Moretensen of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

New Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury was hired — in large part — due to his offensive acumen, and he’ll be calling plays in 2019. Therefore, Sarkisian is likely to serve in a more administrative role that will probably include game planning and offensive install.

Sarkisian wasn’t the only candidate Kingsbury and the Cardinals had in mind for offensive coordinator. Initial reports suggested Texas State head coach Jake Spavital could be in line for the position, while the 49ers denied Arizona’s request to interview run game coordinator Mike McDaniel. Former Giants head coach Ben McAdoo will also interview for an offensive job with the Cardinals, and could still presumably be hired down the line.

Sarkisian, a former collegiate head coach at both Washington and USC, was fired by the Falcons last month along with defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel and special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong. Offense was hardly the problem in Atlanta, as Sarkisian’s unit ranked top-10 in scoring, yards, and DVOA.

Now that he’s in Arizona, Sarkisian will be tasked with helping the development of second-year quarterback Josh Rosen. He’ll also work with an offense that includes assets such as David Johnson, Christian Kirk, and — if he’s re-signed — veteran wideout Larry Fitzgerald.

Coaching Rumors: Jets, Gase, Cardinals, Lions

January 10th, 2019 at 1:32pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets likely preferred Baylor’s Matt Rhule to Adam Gase, but as previously reported, things fell apart when Rhule refused to allow the Jets to pick his staff for him. The Jets especially wanted to choose his offensive coordinator and Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears the Jets floated Todd Monken to him as an option.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

The Cardinals asked, but were denied, permission to interview 49ers run game coordinator Mike McDaniel for their offensive coordinator position, Matt Barrows of The Athletic tweets. McDaniel is tight with head coach Kyle Shanahan and the team was not prepared to lose him, especially to a divisional rival.
“It appears” that Steve Sarkisian and Nathaniel Hackett are in the mix for the Lions‘ offensive coordinator vacancy, Alex Marvez of SiriusXM tweets. The Lions have been looking for a new OC ever since Jan. 1 when they announced that Jim Bob Cooter‘s contract would not be renewed.
Sarkisian has also spoken with the Cardinals about their OC job, Marvez tweets. Sarkisian has been on the market since Dec. 31 when he was fired by Atlanta.
Both the Cardinals and Browns have sought permission to interview Jets running backs coach Stump Mitchell, a source tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The position(s) he’ll be discussing with those teams are unclear, however.

South Coaching Rumors: Koetter, Quinn, Marrone, Rivera

December 23rd, 2018 at 8:51am CST by Rory Parks

It has been assumed that the Buccaneers and head coach Dirk Koetter would be parting ways at the end of the season, but Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link) does not necessarily believe that assumption is a safe one. Rapoport says Koetter could certainly be fired — which would then make him a very appealing OC candidate for rival clubs — but the Glazer family has not ruled out keeping Koetter and the entire “upper structure” of the team. After all, Tampa Bay’s offense is the most prolific in franchise history, and the club’s defense has become a league-average unit since former DC Mike Smith was fired in October.

Now for more rumors on head coaches in the league’s south divisions:

Rapoport also says Falcons head coach Dan Quinn is expected to be back for 2019. There has not been much national chatter about Quinn’s job security anyway, so that does not come as much of a surprise. but Rapoport does expect “significant changes” at the coordinator spots. We already learned that offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian is likely on his way out, and Rapoport confirms that Darrell Bevell will be on the short list to replace him. Defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel also appears in danger of losing his job [SOURCE LINK].
At the end of November, Rapoport said that Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone is in no danger of losing his job, and he doubled down on that report today, saying that Jacksonville owner Shad Khan and executive VP of football operations Tom Coughlin believe in Marrone. The team will seek a new QB and a new offensive coordinator, but it currently sounds as if Marrone will get another shot in 2019. Of course, there have been rumblings that Coughlin himself will consider taking over the head coaching reins, but Rapoport’s sources seem to refute to notion.
Despite rumors of a potential shakeup, Rapoport says the Panthers are expected to retain head coach Ron Rivera. New owner David Tepper reportedly believes in Rivera, who recently took over defensive play-calling duties and who would become one of the top head coaching candidates on the market if he were let go. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, though, suggests that Tepper could indeed go in another direction at season’s end, but if he does, it will be difficult to find someone who would represent a clear improvement over Rivera [SOURCE LINK].

Falcons Likely To Fire Steve Sarkisian

December 18th, 2018 at 1:06pm CST by Zachary Links

There’s a “strong possibility” of significant changes to the Falcons’ coaching staff this offseason, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). This includes potential changes at offensive and defensive coordinator, which could put Steve Sarkisian and Marquand Manuel out of work.

As Pelissero notes, head coach Dan Quinn‘s background is in defense and he exercises a great degree control on that side of the ball. The team’s hire at offensive coordinator will likely have a larger impact on the squad, which renders the OC choice as a more crucial decision than DC.

The next OC of the Falcons could be an old friend of Quinn’s. Former Seahawks OC Darrell Bevell could be a strong candidate for the job, Pelissero hears, particularly since Bevell spent time with Atlanta coaches in the spring.

Under Bevell’s command, the 2017 Seahawks finished roughly league-average on offense, ranking 15th in yards, 11th in points, and 14th in Football Outsiders’ DVOA, which measures efficiency. Bevell had been an offensive coordinator since 2006, spending five seasons with the Vikings before joining Seattle in 2011.

During his dozen seasons as an OC, Bevell’s units have finished as a top-10 DVOA offense five times. Despite his success, he’s widely blamed for Seattle’s controversial call at the end of Super Bowl XLIX, even though he might not have been the one who dialed up the play.

Despite a bevy of offensive weapons, the Falcons are 5-9 and will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2015. The dismissal of Sarkisian feels like an inevitability and Bevell could wind up as the man to replace him, even if Falcons fans are largely opposed.

Falcons OC Steve Sarkisian On The Hot Seat?

June 19th, 2018 at 9:04pm CST by Ben Levine

Steve Sarkisian is entering his second season as Falcons offensive coordinator, but the coach’s job could already be in jeopardy. Appearing on “The Wake Up Call” on ESPN Charlotte, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said Sarkisian is on the hot seat (via Matthew Chambers of SBNation’s The Falconholic).

Specifically, Ledbetter noted that the offensive coordinator disappointed during his first year on the job, and a “change will be in order” if the offense struggles again. Furthermore, the team brought in new quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp in an attempt to help with the offensive game plan, with Ledbetter referring to the coach as Sarkisian’s “sounding board.”

Following a 2016 conference-winning season where the Falcons led the NFL in points and finished second in yards, the team took a step back in 2017. Atlanta ultimately ranked 15th in points and eighth in yards, with quarterback Matt Ryan and running back Devonta Freeman putting up some of their worst numbers in several seasons. The team is hoping that some of their offseason additions will help improve the offense, including first-round wideout Calvin Ridley. The Falcons also added free agent tight end Logan Paulsen and offensive guard Brandon Fusco.

Sarkisian was hired by the Falcons last offseason after Kyle Shanahan took the 49ers head coaching gig. The 44-year-old had recently served as the offensive coordinator at Alabama and the head coach at Washington and USC. His only other NFL stint came in 2004, when he served as the Raiders quarterbacks coach.

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