Dan Quinn not concerned with head coaching buzz ahead of Cowboys playoff run

The end of the NFL season jumpstarts the head coaching buzz as clubs planning to move on usually do so quickly following the campaign.

Of the hot head coaching candidates this cycle, Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn figures to get plenty of buzz as a veteran coaching option for a club looking for a leader with playoff experience.

With the Cowboys staring at the possibility of an NFC East title in Week 18 and what they hope will be a lengthy playoff run, Quinn isn't spending an ounce of energy fretting about coaching interviews.

"I think it's important to know how to compartmentalize," Quinn said on Monday, via the team's official website. "Fortunately for me, in that space, any preparation you would do on that is done over the summertime. If and when that time gets called, I would certainly be ready to discuss that at a moment's notice. It's pretty easy these days to compartmentalize. Quite honestly, the guys that I'm able to coach are a big reason why I wanted to be back here, so I'm not gonna let that moment miss one second."

Quinn pulled his name out of the running the past two coaching cycles to return to Dallas and is expected to be judicious once again during the 2024 process.

"I didn't want to see anybody else coaching these guys, and there was unfinished business in my mind," he said. "That was a big reason for me knowing that I had unfinished business with them, and I wanted to see that through as much as I could. I absolutely feel that way again. It's easy to compartmentalize when you stay here now. I live my life in that space anyway, so it's not as complicated as you might think."

If the Cowboys finish that business, Quinn will undoubtedly see his status as a head coaching candidate rise in the coming