FRISCO, Texas — It's the first week of the playoffs. There is no time to waste.
And that's one reason why Will McClay has shut down any speculation that he might be leaving the Cowboys. The team's VP of player personnel has informed the Cowboys he will not be any interviewing for any other general manager positions around the league.
"I talked to a couple of people, but I didn't want to waste anybody's time," McClay said on Monday. "I am committed to being here. The commitment I made to my son and the organization. I'm going to roll with it. I have another year left on my contract."
This certainly isn't the first time McClay has garnered interest from other teams about front-office positions. This time, the Commanders and Panthers had reportedly asked for permission to meet with McClay about the GM openings. And there's always a chance that other openings pop up in the next few weeks.
But McClay is staying put in Dallas, something that seemed to be good news for head coach Mike McCarthy, who was asked about McClay staying in his Friday press conference.
"This is obviously great for the Dallas Cowboys," McCarthy said. "He's very important to our operation, without a doubt. The most important you want in an organization is, when things are right, to build off consistency."
McClay has been in the Cowboys' scouting department for 22 seasons, but this is his seventh year as the club's VP of player personnel. He oversees the entire scouting department from the college side to the pro personnel, working directly with owner/GM Jerry Jones and chief operating officer Stephen Jones, as well as McCarthy.
"I think it's just a process. When you're somewhere where you enjoy and respect and trust the work of other people around you, it's really hard to beat," McClay said. "With what we have set up with the pro staff and the college staff and the way we find players and our process and belief in it … The coaches working with us and the ownership support, we all work for somebody. I'm just happy with the way we do things and I look forward to trying to continue to build it that way."
