Falcons Ex Dan Quinn Shocker: Here’s 1 Big Reason He’s Staying with Cowboys

Former Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn pulled a shocker on Thursday morning.

Former Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn surprised everyone on Thursday when he decided to stay with the Dallas Cowboys as defensive coordinator rather than take one of the half-dozen head coach jobs he was in contention for.

Two sources tell CowboysSI.com that among the reasons for staying in Dallas is owner Jerry Jones stepping up with a “substantial raise.”

Quinn was long thought to be the favorite for the vacant Denver Broncos job, but Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett will be taking that job.

The New York Giants, Quinn’s hometown team, also seemed like a good fit for Quinn, but Quinn decided to stay at least another season with the Cowboys to make a Super Bowl run with his current team.

It was this type of loyalty (well, and the money) that endeared him to his players in his stint with the Falcons as well. Cowboys rookie linebacker Micah Parsons, a contender for Defensive Player of the Year, said recently while mentioning Quinn's "pure heart'': “Q, brother, I hope you stay if you see this, man. I hope we get another shot at this.”

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Parsons took to Twitter to celebrate the news that Quinn would be returning to Dallas for the 2022 season.

Quinn helped rehabilitate his image in Dallas. The Cowboys went from giving up the 28th most points in 2020 to the seventh fewest under his watch in 2021. The Cowboys led the league in turnover differential at +14 and had a league-high 34 takeaways.

Quinn was the Falcons’ head coach from 2015 to 2020. He had a 43-42 record and led the Falcons to their second-ever Super Bowl appearance after the 2016 season.

Quinn had some high profile losses including said Super Bowl, and he was dismissed along with long-time general manager Thomas Dimitroff after an 0-5 start to the 2020 season.