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Dallas Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips won 13 games this year. In most cases, that’s enough to provide you with some job security.

However, the rules are a bit different when your boss is Jerry Jones.

Wade’s A Winner

In his first year as head coach, Wade Phillips was able to improve the Dallas Cowboys’ record from 9-7 to 13-3. That’s even more impressive when you consider that the roster hasn’t been changed that much.

Wade Phillips also won over the team. After four years under Bill Parcells and his aggressive coaching methods, the players welcomed Wade Phillips and his laid back approach wit open arms. Wade Phillips didn’t have his players constantly on the edge. He basically eased their minds and allowed them to discipline themselves.

The winning ways also enabled Wade Phillips to win over the Dallas Cowboys fanbase. A lot of the fans complained when Jerry Jones decided to hire Wade Phillips as opposed to Norv Turner. Granted, a lot of those fans now swear that they never said that and that they approved of Wade Phillips’ hiring from the start.

Temporary

There was a widespread belief that Wade Phillips was chosen over Norv Turner so that it would make it easier for Jerry Jones to fire his head coach after a year or so.

Since Norv Turner had a previous relationship with the Dallas Cowboys fans, it would have been more of a public relations disaster for Jerry Jones to fire him after a year or so. Wade Phillips didn’t have a relationship with the fans (prior to his current success), so it might have been easier to part ways with him. When Jason Garrett was hired, the Dallas Cowboys basically stamped “Head Coach in Training” on his forehead. In fact, it was one of those rare situations where an assistant coach was hired by the owner before he hired a head coach. Jason Garrett was considered for the head coaching job, but Jerry Jones wanted him to have a year or two of training before taking over.

Everyone knew he was going to succeed Wade Phillips as the head coach. They just didn’t thin it would be happening this soon.

Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems

Money and success go hand in hand in that the more you have of them, the more problems are likely to spring up.

Now that the Dallas Cowboys had a great season, every team in the league wants a piece of them. Not just on the football field either, but also in the transaction section.

As with prior success, you can expect to see several Dallas Cowboys free agents get overpaid by other teams. Front office personnel are likely to get jobs elsewhere (Jeff Ireland has already jumped to the Miami Dolphins). Assistant coaches get interviewed for promotions with other teams (Tony Sparano is expected to become the Miami Dolphins’ next head coach).

Well, all eyes are on Jason Garrett right now.

His name has already been linked to the head coaching spots in Atlanta, Miami, and Baltimore. When other jobs become available, his name will probably be linked to those as well.

Promotion

The only way for Jerry Jones to keep Jason Garrett on his staff is to promote him to the head coaching spot.

Jason Garrett is allowed to leave the Dallas Cowboys for a position that is considered a promotion over his current position. With him being an offensive coordinator right now, a promotion would mean that he becomes a head coach.

Wade Phillips is a known commodity. Jerry Jones can’t take too much credit for his success. Jason Garrett, on the other hand, is an up and coming coach. Jerry Jones would love to be able to say that he found the next great coach.

Closing Thoughts

With everything in mind, it wouldn’t surprise us the least bit if Wade Phillips is looking for a new job next year.