Exclusive: Coach Kris Richard's Next Step? 'Always Strive To Be The Best'

After Two Seasons With The Cowboys, Kris Richard - Smart, Intense And Frank - Is Moving On. Here The Coach Talks Exclusively To CowboysSI.com About What Comes Next

FRISCO - Kris Richard's heart is always in the right place - two right places, actually.

"On a personal level, all I care about is to be the absolutely best husband and father I can be,'' Richard tells me in an exclusive sit-down interview with SI.com. "Best husband, father, son and brother. I want to be a rock star at that.''

And professionally?

"Professionally, my eventual desire is certainly is to be a head coach,'' he says. "There's no doubt about that. I'm going to keep working tirelessly until the day that happens.''

In the meantime, Richard, 40, has worked tirelessly in the NFL in every role along that path, as a player, later as the top defensive coach with "The Legion of Boom'' with the Super Bowl Seahawks, and for the past two seasons as a top defensive assistant again with the Dallas Cowboys.

"I'm very proud of our work with the Cowboys,'' says Richard, whose exit is part of the staff change under new head coach Mike McCarthy. "I worked passionately. I'm fiery. I have tremendously high standards. And I'm always willing to tell the truth. And none of that should be twisted into a negative fashion.''

Kris' reference there is to my noting that during the Cowboys' 8-8 season in 2019, there was conflict within the Jason Garrett-led coaching staff. Richard - who in my dealings with him has always been frank and honest - vehemently denies that he was involved in or responsible for any such conflict.

"None,'' he tells me. "Never. In my dealings over the course of two years in Dallas there simply was no conflict within this staff involving me.''

Richard was interviewed for the head coaching vacancy with the New York Giants - no surprise to the fans he has here inside The Star who once projected him to someday be a Cowboys head coach candidate - and is reportedly a candidate to join the NFC champion's staff in San Francisco. I've written about what a sensible fit that would be for the 49ers and for Richard, who is enjoying a little family time now with wife Chandra, and his three children, Alyssa (13), Aiden (11) and Asher (7) ... and preparing to bring his trademark intelligence, talent, work ethic and intensity to his next stop.

"It's a simple goal, and I'll bring it to my next job,'' Kris Richard said. "I just want to help a team strive to be the best. That's what I did in Dallas. That's what I'll always do.''