Jason Garrett has left the Baltimore Ravens facility in Owings Mills, Maryland without accepting the Ravens head coaching position today.
Several reports claim that the Ravens did tender an offer but Garrett wouldn't confirm or deny the reports when he stopped and talked with reporters outside the Ravens complex.
Garrett called it a "great day" that the visit was everything he expected and more and that he will continue through this process and at some time soon, will make a decision. It's obvious that Garrett is the leading candidate after Ravens officials spent a significant amount of time with Jason's wife Brill, who toured the complex as well as several spots of the Baltimore community.
Sound's like bad news for the Cowboys but it was really bad news for the Ravens that they let him get out of town without signing him, and likely great news for the Cowboys since the ball is now in the hands of Jerry Jones.
What will Garrett want in return?
If it's money, that probably won't be an issue for Jones who has reportedly vowed to match any financial offer. It could however, be an issue for Wade Phillips. His deal is in the neighborhood of three million dollars a year and Garrett could very well have an offer that would come close to or eclipse that. No NFL team has an offensive coordinator making more than the head coach.
If it's to be a head coach, Jones has quite a decision to make. Does he "promote" Phillips to a spot in the front office and make Garrett the new Cowboys head coach?
With it being a foregone conclusion that Tony Sparano is out the door after the Dolphins whisked him out of town for a second interview today, the Cowboys can't afford to lose both of the men who designed one of the top offenses in the NFL this year. That would leave the organization having to find an offensive coordinator who is familiar with this scheme, unless they promoted receivers coach Ray Sherman to the position.
Wade Phillips really gave Jerry Jones an out to replace him as head coach with the comments he made at the season ending news conference at Valley Ranch on Monday. By saying " I feel the best team lost the game, we out played them but we lost and that goes to the coach, I accept it" Reminds me of an episode from "The Apprentice" when one of the project managers went to the board room and told Donald Trump, as the project manager, he accepted the responsibility for the loss, feeling that showed strong leadership and accountability. Trump briskly fired him for that admission.
I don't know if Jones will pull the trigger like Trump did, but if he's second guessing his decision to hire Garrett as the head coach last year, chances are he won't let the opportunity slip thorugh his fingers again. Whether that means giving Garrett contract that guarantees he'll be the next head coach of the Cowboys or whether Jones makes the move now, expect Jerry to lock Garrett up in the next day or two.