Cowboys extend contract of most important front office member of last decade
The man that most believe to be the most critically important contributor to any success the Cowboys organization has on the field is staying put, despite a vast sea of current offseason changes all around him.
Will McClay, the team’s vice president of player personnel, has signed a multiyear extension to remain with the Cowboys, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer.
The 58-year-old has been with the Cowboys since 2002, first as a pro scout, and he’s served in his current role since 2017. He signed his most recent contract in 2022, but that deal expired earlier in January along with the deals of the rest of the Cowboys coaching staff.
McClay has been considered a potential general manager candidate for other clubs in the past. The Commanders, Panthers, and Chargers all requested permission from the Cowboys to interview him for their open GM positions just last year before McClay announced he “didn’t want to waste anybody’s time” and wouldn’t be fielding offers to leave Dallas.
The Tennessee native’s son was also entering his senior year of high school, and McClay made it clear that helped influence his decision to stay in Dallas for the final year of his contract. With his son now set to graduate in the spring, the Cowboys staff undergoing massive turnover, and the Jerry/Stephen Jones power structure in Dallas firmly locked in place, some wondered if the writing was on the wall for McClay to finally take an official GM job somewhere else.
But McClay has been evaluating college prospects this week at the Reese’s Senior Bowl, perhaps a sign that coming to terms on a new contract was simply a formality for both sides.
[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]
Before leaving for Mobile, however, McClay was included in the front office’s head coaching search and helped the Cowboys finally land on hiring Brian Schottenheimer.
“I think the greatest part is being aligned from the top down,” McClay said of giving the longtime offensive coordinator his first head coaching job. “That’s one of the commitments we all made sitting in there about what we’re going to do and how we’re going to do it. He’s got a plan, he’s got a vision. We’re going to support that. We’re going to add good players. I have a great feeling about what Schotty and what he’s looking for.”
McClay certainly has a proven track record of identifying talented players for the Cowboys. He has found 15 Pro Bowlers and six All-Pros through the draft since taking over the club’s scouting efforts in 2014.
