A loss Sunday would give the Cowboys their worst season since the infamous 1-15 campaign in 1989, but Jason Garrett will be back next season no matter what happens.
Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones made that clear in an interview with NFL Media this week, saying his team's stunning drop from a 12-4 campaign in 2014 doesn't warrant an overhaul.
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"He's safe," Jones said of Garrett. "Change isn't always the right answer. We're not big believers in it. Jason, a year ago, everyone thought he hung the moon. That's the terrible thing about this business: You take one year, and change everything. This doesn't faze us, it won't faze us.
"We're totally in with Jason. We're totally in with our staff."
It's the prudent move in an NFL offseason that once again will feature plenty of coaching turnover, though it's fair to wonder exactly what the franchise's level of expectation should be under Garrett.
The former quarterback went 8-8 in each of his first three full seasons at the helm before last year's breakout campaign, but the 2015 season marked a sudden return to the disappointments of the Dave Campo era.
A win in Sunday's season finale against the playoff-bound Redskins would give the Cowboys a 5-11 record, matching the mark Campo compiled in each of his three seasons at the helm from 2000-02.
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Not the follow-up the Cowboys had in mind, but they were simply unable to overcome the losses of Tony Romo and Dez Bryant despite residing in perhaps the league's most mediocre division. Why? That's something the Dallas brass has been pondering, and that exercise will continue into the offseason. But Garrett's role is secure.
"I think you have to look at everybody," Jones said. "I'm accountable. Jason's accountable. We're 4-11. It's up to us to do something about it. We had injuries, yes, but Jason doesn't want to use that as an excuse. I don't want to use that as excuse."
