The Dallas Cowboys have promoted offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to become the storied franchise’s next coach.

The surprising choice announced Friday night is a familiar one for star quarterback Dak Prescott, who worked closely with Schottenheimer the past two seasons when former coach Mike McCarthy was the play-caller.

Prescott publicly supported the return of McCarthy, whose initial five-year contract with Dallas expired, but McCarthy and the Cowboys mutually parted ways last week.

Schottenheimer, 51, is the ninth coach hired by owner Jerry Jones since he bought the team in 1989 and fired the only coach the Cowboys had for their first 29 seasons, Pro Football Hall of Famer Tom Landry.

Schottenheimer, son of the late NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer, joined the Dallas staff as a consultant in 2022 and held the offensive coordinator title the past two seasons while McCarthy was the play-caller.

The younger Schottenheimer cultivated a strong relationship with Prescott the past two seasons and is a familiar face for Prescott, who is going into the first year of a $240 million, four-year extension. It's the first NFL contract to average $60 million per season.

Schottenheimer was Russell Wilson’s offensive coordinator in Seattle from 2018-20, when the Seahawks finished in the top 10 in scoring offence all three years but stumbled in the playoffs each time.

The first stint as an offensive coordinator for Schottenheimer lasted six seasons with the New York Jets from 2006-11, followed by three years in the same role with the St. Louis Rams.

Dallas made three consecutive postseason trips in 2021-23 but won just one playoff game. The Cowboys finished 7-10 this past season.

Congrats, Coach Schottenheimer!

Tune in to the official introductory press conference Monday, January 27th at 11am CT.#DallasCowboys | : https://t.co/VFHlroDWjz pic.twitter.com/2D7MM7nIMZ

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) January 25, 2025