FRISCO, Texas — What is arguably the biggest news of the Dallas Cowboys' offseason has landed, and not long after the team named Brian Schottenheimer as the tenth head coach in franchise history; and this time it's by way of a new deal being struck with Will McClay.
The team's vice president of player personnel has officially signed a multi-year contract extension that will keep him in Dallas for the foreseeable future, on a five-year deal, to be more specific, per the team's front office.
This is gargantuan news for the Cowboys, who ushered in a new era of scouting when they initially added McClay to their payroll as a pro scout in 2002. He'd serve in that role through 2008 before being promoted to pro scout coordinator and, in 2011, director of football research.
His ascent continued from there, going on to become assistant director of player personnel working directly under Stephen Jones, then senior director of professional and college scouting en route to his current position.
The Cowboys have enjoyed a bounty of eventual Pro Bowlers, All-Pros and future Hall of Famers who were drafted in the McClay era — e.g., DeMarcus Lawrence, Micah Parsons, CeeDee Lamb, Zack Martin, Tyron Smith, Dak Prescott, etc. etc. — and his influence continues to shine through each offseason.
McClay's existing contract was set to expire after the 2025 NFL Draft, but no longer.
An early indication that McClay and the Cowboys would come to terms on a new deal was in how they sought his input regarding the search for a new head coach. McClay, speaking from the Reese's Senior Bowl in Mobile, detailed exactly how much alignment was achieved in not only helping to select Schottenheimer, but also in the vision going forward.
"I've been part of the whole process," McClay said. "They allowed me to be a part of it and so to visit with the different candidates and whatnot and hearing what people brought were going to bring to the table and what we were trying to do. So that was very important to be a part of. ... There's a synergy with the coaching staff and knowing what they want and what they want to bring in.
"As we get the rest of the coaches filled out, what we're going to do is sit down in front of them and figure it all out and talk about it and go find the groceries that they're looking for."
The shopping list is already being constructed, and by someone with master penmanship.
