Year after year Dallas Cowboys Executive Vice President of Player Personnel Will McClay receives calls from teams looking to fill their vacant General Manager job and year after year he turns them down. How much longer will that last? Could one of the several open GM jobs this year be too good for him to pass up?
For whatever reason Will McClay seems satisfied with his standing with the Dallas Cowboys. He doesn't carry the title of GM and probably never will with Jerry and Stephen Jones so heavily involved in personnel decisions, but he's responsible for many of the “GM-like” responsibilities inside The Star nonetheless. But, what happens when he wants to be the captain of his own ship?
As things stand right now there are several GM openings that could intrigue Will McClay enough that he'd be a fool not to seriously consider. He'd be able to run the show for once without having to look over his shoulder to get permission from the Jones'. That kind of freedom might be too hard to pass up.
Teams Looking for a New GM
- Atlanta Falcons
- Carolina Panthers
- Denver Broncos
- Detroit Lions
- Houston Texans
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Washington Football Team
Believe it or not, but Will McClay could probably have his choice of any of the above-mentioned GM jobs currently available. All he would have to do is let it be known he was interested and then let the details work themselves out. Having said that though, I only see one or two jobs he'd actually consider.
I think it's safe to say we could scratch a few of these GM jobs off the list. If I were Will McClay I would politely shoot down any interest in being the GM of the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, and the Washington Football Team.
Both the Panthers (Matt Rhule) and WFT (Ron Rivera) have head coaches who expect to be a big part of personal decisions. That could make for a difficult work environment trying to find the right kind of balance. The same could be said about the Broncos GM job as well.
John Elway plans to remain with the organization but is giving up his final say in personnel decisions. To me, that sounds a lot like the same kind of work environment Will McClay currently has with the Dallas Cowboys. So, that's more of a lateral move than a promotion.
That leaves the Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Each one of these teams is not only looking for a new GM, but a new head coach as well. In my opinion, that just makes these GM jobs all the more intriguing.
The Falcons and Lions both have questions surrounding their QB situation. Matt Ryan and Matthew Stafford are no longer the long-term solution for their teams and unfortunately neither organization as a Plan B right now. That's not the case for the Texans or Jaguars.
The Texans already have a young, talented QB (Deshaun Watson) to build around and the Jaguars are about to add one (Trevor Lawrence) in the upcoming draft. McClay has ties to the Houston area having attended Rice University, but Bill O'Brien made such a mess of things that the GM job probably comes with more headaches than it's worth. Jacksonville on the other hand is interesting.
The Jaguars are probably a QB away from being a series competitor in the AFC South. They have a young, talented foundation in place on both sides of the ball and quite a bit of salary-cap space to work with. Out of all of the GM openings, Jacksonville is the most intriguing in my opinion.
From the coaching staff to the roster, Will McClay could be a big part of building the foundation of the franchise. He could build the team in his own image instead of catering to the way the Jones' want things done. Again, that kind of freedom could be really hard for him to pass up.
With all of that in mind, I highly doubt Will McClay is going anywhere soon. He seems to truly enjoy his role with the Dallas Cowboys and doesn't seem to mind playing second fiddle to the Jones'. He may want to be the captain of his own ship in time, but thankfully it doesn't look as if that will be anytime soon.
