In February 2022, Brian Schottenheimer was out of a job.
After being the passing game coordinator under Urban Meyer for the Jacksonville Jaguars for one season, Schottenheimer was not retained by the Doug Pederson staff, meaning for the second time in two years, he was in the market.
“Honestly, I was planning on potentially taking the year [off],” Schottenheimer said. “I’d been through quite a bit, getting fired in Seattle. Going down to Jacksonville and doing that, that was different. Losing my dad in between that was hard. I kind of lost a little bit of the love of it, I think. I think I was not in a dark spot, because people have way darker days than I have, but I wanted to reconnect with my family a little bit.”
Schottenheimer received quite a bit of interest, opportunities to be a quarterbacks coach, opportunities to be an offensive coordinator. But considering where he was in his life and his career, one opportunity from the Dallas Cowboys stood out.
Despite his extensive career as an offensive assistant, it wasn’t to hold any offensive position under Mike McCarthy. Instead, it was to work as a consultant to then-defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. At a unique spot in his career, Schottenheimer accepted the position.
“When the opportunity came to stay involved in the building and a special place like this for a guy like Mike McCarthy that I love and care about,” Schottenheimer said. “Under a guy like Mike and Dan Quinn and people like that, to come down here and be a part of the Cowboys, it was just something that the more I thought about it and the more Mike and I kind of talked about it throughout the spring, it made too much sense.”
In the weeks leading up to games, Schottenheimer would scout the Cowboys defense based on the opponents’ offensive scheme and personnel. If the Cowboys were playing the Buccaneers, for example, Schottenheimer would take Tampa Bay’s scheme and personnel to draw up a plan on how to attack the Dallas defense. He would then present it to Quinn in a Monday afternoon meeting that would typically last around 90 minutes.
“He was like a secret weapon for me,” Quinn told the Star-Telegram. “I really challenged him in that way. Brian was in defensive meetings when we installed the defense. What a cool year, kind of like a sabbatical, to do something different. Brian could have been quarterbacks coach or OC at a lot of spots. But for one season, he and I got to be together. It was awesome for me.”
The benefit went both ways.
“It [helped me] tremendously,” Schottenheimer said. “I would recommend it to any young coach. If you have a chance and you’re an offensive guy, go to defense for a year and vice versa. I think it was good for me to kind of see the trends, where the league is going, and we’re actually using some things now offensively that maybe I hadn’t done before that I picked up on during that year as the consultant.”
The connection between Quinn and Schottenheimer goes well beyond the field. Fifteen years prior to the 2022 season, the two connected on the same staff for the New York Jets when Schottenheimer was the offensive coordinator and Quinn was hired as the defensive line coach. Early in Quinn’s tenure with the Jets, Schottenheimer and his wife, Gemmi, invited Quinn over for dinner at their Long Island home.
From there, a friendship blossomed that carried during their time together on the Jets and rebirthed itself in Dallas.
“His office was just two doors down, so I would go to where his office was,“ Quinn said. “He’s a real connector. He has such energy for coaching and teaching. Sometimes, those 90 minutes felt like five minutes. Sometimes, we were talking not always about football, sometimes about life or other things. That usually happens. You put the game on, something else comes up and you talk about it. He is a real connector.”
“He and I were usually two of the last ones to leave and we’d talk a lot just about life, man,” Schottenheimer said. “And we’d talk about leadership. We’d talk about chemistry. We’d talk about culture. I think we both come from that tree where that’s important to us. He’s an elite leader. He’s an incredible connector.”
“[He’s a] dear, dear friend. A guy that I talk to quite a bit. Excited to see him next week.”
Fast forward to 2025, both Quinn and Schottenheimer are head coaches in the NFC East. Quinn departed the Cowboys in 2024 to take the head coaching job for the Washington Commanders, and Schottenheimer made his way from defensive consultant to head coach of the Cowboys in 2025.
While both consider themselves good friends, the love will be put aside for two days out of the year. The first of those will be on Sunday when the Commanders travel to AT&T Stadium to take on the Cowboys.
“I wish him the best,” Quinn said. “But when we go battle, we go battle. Then, I wish him the best after that. It’s just a matter of, ‘Hey, on that day, we’re coming.’ I’m sure he feels the same.”
The two routinely catch up, even though they are about as direct of a competitor as anyone can be in the NFL. From one side to the other, the connection and friendship goes well beyond their profession.
“If he ever needed anything,” Quinn said. “I’d pick up that phone at 2 a.m., no doubt about it.”