Jason Garrett Reportedly Candidate For Stanford Head Coach Job

Jason Garrett has been away from the gridiron for a year, and it appears his NBC Sports job could be a one-and-done.

The former Dallas Cowboys head coach reportedly is a finalist for the Stanford head coaching job, according to The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel on Thursday. Sacramento State coach Troy Taylor is one of the other finalists for the position. Former BYU and Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall, Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman and former Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio are no longer in the running for the job after speaking with Stanford, according to The Athletic.

After his career as a backup quarterback, Garrett became Miami Dolphins quarterbacks coach from 2005-2006. The 56-year-old then was hired into the Cowboys staff where he eventually became head coach in 2011 and remained in the position until 2019 when his contract was not renewed. Garrett moved on to become New York Giants offensive coordinator for two seasons from 2020-2021. The 2016 Coach of the Year went 85-67 in Dallas.

Garrett joined NBC Sports in April and called Notre Dame football games along with his job as studio analyst for “Sunday Night Football.”

Stanford started interviews after Cardinal coach David Shaw announced his resignation on Nov. 27. The longtime head coach stepped down after a 3-9 season. He was with Stanford from 2011-2022 and became the school’s all-time winningest coach at 96-54 but had losing records in three of his last four seasons.

Garrett was in line for the Duke head coaching job before it went to Mike Elko. It appears if the 56-year-old wants to head into the collegiate ranks, he would get that chance. He would have the opportunity to coach opposite fellow former Cowboy Deion Sanders, who was named Colorado head coach last Sunday.