Chargers Seek 'Top 10' Dan Quinn Job Interview: Would Coach Leave Cowboys for L.A.?
FRISCO - The NFL Coaching Carousel has begun, and Dan Quinn once again finds himself with an important seat for the ride.
In our many conversations with Dan Quinn about his coaching future - all marked by two offseasons-worth of spurning head coaching jobs to instead remain with the Dallas Cowboys - the highly-regarded defensive coordinator habitually circles back to three themes.
One, he is committed to the "unfinished business'' of winning a Super Bowl here.
Two, he is very handsomely compensated by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, so he doesn't need to move to "be paid like a head coach.''
And three, he's long been driven by a life mantra that's about "being where my feet are.''
Having said all of that ... speculation that his feet could end up in Los Angeles is logical enough. And indeed, as of Tuesday, the Chargers have joined the Commanders and the Panthers in requesting an interview with the coach.
With the Los Angeles Chargers firing coach Brandon Staley and GM Tom Telesco, there's a vacancy on a team that has a most attractive piece in young franchise quarterback Justin Herbert.
That's a major factor as we assemble our top-10 list for the Chargers that should obviously include an interview with Quinn, who in his three years in Dallas has turned upside down a Cowboys defense that has been the NFL's best collection of playmakers.
1 - New England Patriots boss Bill Belichick. Given that the Chargers have the two open jobs, one can easily envision the legendary Patriots boss being given his walking papers in New England to assume complete control in LA.
Oh, and how hungry do you think Belichick is to reattach himself to a franchise QB, given his four failed seasons post-Tom Brady?
2 - Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, who just happens to be a former Chargers QB. It seems like on an annual basis, Harbaugh flirts with the NFL only to end up getting a raise in Michigan. (He's reportedly got a five-year, $55 million offer sitting on the table there right now.)
The NFL will flirt again. And maybe this time, Harbaugh - coach of college football's No. 1 -ranked team but also embroiled in a cheating controversy - will get out while the getting is good.
3 - Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. It is worth noting that he turned down a Jaguars interview after the 2021 season despite their employment of then-rookie hotshot QB Trevor Lawrence.
Also interesting: If Chargers management wants to keep Kellen Moore as the offensive coordinator, we bet Quinn - who not only worked with him in Dallas but mentored him through his own head coach interviews - would be fine with it.
As always, there is speculation that he could someday supplant Mike McCarthy in Dallas. McCarthy wins double-digits games annually and takes the Cowboys to the playoffs while overseeing the No. 1 offense in football. So ...
We will simply note how broad the phrase "could someday'' and leave it at that.
4 - Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Like Quinn, he's turned down interviews in the past. But what he's accomplished in Detroit is undeniable - a complete turnaround last year and more of the same in 2023 for the contending Lions. Johnson is "new blood'' at 37 ... another attraction.
5 - Brian Flores, the Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator. Flores is in conflict with the NFL over his charges of institutionalized racism, and his harsh management style drew criticism during his time as the Dolphins head coach. But the job gets done.
6 - Frank Smith, the Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator. He's 42, and once worked on the Chargers staff as the run-game coordinator. Want high-flying? Copy the Dolphins.
7 - Jerod Mayo, the New England Patriots defensive coordinator. He's been seen as Belichick's heir there. Has that changed? The Patriots were awful - but their defense wasn't.
8 - Bobby Slowik, the Houston Texans offensive coordinator. Slowik is just 36, but the son of the former Cowboys assistant is going to get credit for having guided rookie QB C.J. Stroud to an almost-MVP-level season.
9 - Aaron Glenn, the Detroit Lions defensive coordinator. He was in the cycle last year and will be again.
10 - Brian Callahan, the Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator. He was reportedly Carolina's first call.
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