New Commanders coach Dan Quinn let Cowboys players know he was leaving before he took job

Dan Quinn let his Cowboys players know before he took the Commanders head coaching job.

The NFL Combine took place last week and it provided the first opportunity for people in new positions across the league to do work and be seen on behalf of their new employers. On this list is a former Dallas Cowboys coach a as Dan Quinn left his post as defensive coordinator just over a month ago to become the head coach of the Washington Commanders. Going against him twice a year will only make his departure more interesting.

As the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn led the group to immense success, historical success that we might never see again in some areas. But the NFL is a constantly-changing game and it long felt inevitable that Quinn was going to leave considering he interviewed for head coaching vacancies after each of his seasons in Dallas. This obviously had a lot to do with the group’s success, something Quinn made sure to note in a recent interview.

Dan Quinn let his Dallas Cowboys players know he was leaving for Washington before he took the job

Sometimes things happen in the middle of the night (so to speak) in the NFL with someone leaving or being released and no real fallout taking place as a result. If an NFL coach leaves for a new job in the middle of the woods, does it even make a sound?

Quinn’s departure was as loud as can be from an impact standpoint given his relationship with players on the Cowboys defense. During a recent appearance on Pardon My Take, Quinn noted that he let them know before he took the Commanders job and that he expressed gratitude to them for keeping him in the mix for head-coaching opportunities.

PFT: Have you been in touch with your players on Dallas to be like, hey I look forward to kicking your ass twice a year?

Dan Quinn: When I left I texted them before I took the job. Just to say man like, a big piece of why I got this job is because of you guys. And so like I wanted to make sure I shared that gratitude with them because like, I wouldn’t have been in this spot. To have chances. Had it not been for them. Like I chose to go back to Dallas because of them as well the previous season. And so I wanted to go fight for that and see where we could take it. It didn’t work out at the end, but I did want to show my gratitude for them. There are some good dudes that I’ll be connected with for life on that. I love that part of the game, those relationships. Wherever it was, there are still people on every team that I keep up with and there will be a lot from this one as well.

It is hardly shocking to see that Quinn made sure to let his Cowboys players know, although apparently Tony Pollard was not on that text list, but it is still cool to hear his explanation of the process.

Football is a game of relationships and over the course of three years it is safe to say that Quinn developed some strong ones. The greatest days that defensive cornerstones like Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland have all had have been with Quinn serving as the foundational piece from a coaching standpoint. It is hard to move on from things like that.