DALLAS - The Dallas Cowboys say offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has agreed to a deal to become the storied franchise's next coach.

One of the surprising picks announced Friday night was a familiar choice in star quarterback Dak Prescott, who worked closely with Schottenheimer the past two seasons under former coach Mike McCarthy. (Mike McCarthy) is playing ball.

Prescott publicly supported the return of McCarthy, whose original five-year contract with Dallas expired, but McCarthy and the Cowboys mutually parted ways last week.

Schottenheimer is the ninth coach hired by owner Jerry Jones, who purchased the team in 1989 and fired the Cowboys' only coach during their first 29 seasons, Pro Football Hall of Famer Tom Lang. Derry (Tom Landry).

Schottenheimer is Jones' seventh since the Cowboys last advanced beyond the divisional round of the playoffs in 1995, when the club won its fifth Super Bowl title.

Jones hired McCarthy, a Super Bowl champion from Green Bay, in 2010 hoping to end what is now the longest stretch of any NFC team without a conference championship game appearance.

Dallas made three consecutive playoff appearances in 2021-23 but won just one playoff game.

The 51-year-old Schottenheimer, the son of the late NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer, has 25 years of NFL coaching experience, including 14 as an offensive coordinator but none as a head coach.

Schottenheimer joined the Cowboys as a consultant in 2022 and stepped into the offensive coordinator role a year later when McCarthy took over play-calling duties.

Prescott had one of the best years of his career in his first season and finished runner-up in NFL MVP voting, but the Cowboys stumbled in a shocking home wild game The loss came to Green Bay.

Dallas' offense played a big role in a 27-0 first half deficit, and the Cowboys trailed by 32 points in the fourth quarter of a 48-32 defeat.

Schottenheimer's second season with Prescott was mostly a struggle, even before Prescott suffered a season-ending hamstring injury. The Cowboys finished 12-5 after a three-year stretch of 7-10.

McCarthy was offered the NFL coaching job in 1993 on Marty Schottenheimer's Kansas City staff, and he joined Jacksonville as passing game coordinator one season later.

Schottenheimer was Russell Wilson's offensive coordinator in Seattle from 2018-20, when the Seahawks had a top-10 offense all three years but stumbled in the playoffs each time. .

Schottenheimer's first tenure as offensive coordinator lasted six seasons with the New York Jets, starting in 2006-11, followed by a three-year role with the St. Louis Rams.

The Cowboys held a virtual interview with Philadelphia offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, Prescott's playmaker from 2019-22. Moore's Eagles play Washington at home in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.

Dallas held face-to-face interviews with two of its former coaches in Robert Saleh and Leslie Frazier. Jones met informally with Colorado State coach Deion Sanders. The Hall of Fame cornerback played five seasons for the Cowboys and helped them win their last Super Bowl.