Dan Quinn returns to Dallas with playoff-bound Commanders as Cowboys finish difficult season

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Dan Quinn's playoff streak lives on in his first season with the Washington Commanders, which can't be said for the fellow coaches and players he left in Dallas after three years as defensive coordinator of the Cowboys.

Quinn returns to the home of the Cowboys just shy of a year since Dallas' stunning blowout loss to Green Bay in a wild-card playoff game at AT&T Stadium.

His Commanders (11-5) finish the regular season Sunday with postseason prep on their minds, while his former team never got a chance in 2024 to escape the malaise of that 48-32 loss to the Packers. A three-year playoff run ended in a season sidetracked early by poor play and kept off the rails by an onslaught of injuries.

Quinn took the Washington job 2 1/2 weeks after that January playoff loss, and the former Atlanta head coach now finds himself rejuvenated by dynamic rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and a couple of solid pass rushers who came with him from the Cowboys in Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler.

“I’ve honestly had a blast coaching this team because we’ve been working hard on our identity,” Quinn said. “For me to get a front-row seat at that journey and be along on that ride with them, I’ve got a lot of gratitude for it.”

The Cowboys (7-9) are headed for an offseason of uncertainty with coach Mike McCarthy on an expiring contract. After quarterback Dak Prescott's season-ending hamstring injury, Dallas found a way to win four of five games to keep things from spiraling out of control.

The bottom line remains that in five years, McCarthy, a Super Bowl winner with Green Bay, couldn't get the Cowboys past the divisional round of the playoffs. The same was true for the five coaches before him, going all the way back to the last of the storied franchise's five Super Bowl titles to cap the 1995 season.

McCarthy, who won his Super Bowl with the Packers at the home of the Cowboys after the 2010 season, was asked if he had thought about Sunday's game possibly being his last for Dallas.

“I’ll be honest with you, I go to the stadium much earlier this time in my career than I used to,” the 61-year-old said. “I won a Super Bowl in that home locker room at AT&T Stadium. So I have a very strong emotional attachment that it hits me every time I walk in there and every time I walk out. I’m not thinking about it right now, but, yeah, I’m definitely in tune with that.”

The last time these teams met, Daniels was still nursing sore ribs. He threw two interceptions in that 34-26 defeat, Washington’s third in a row.

Since then, Daniels has thrown for 13 touchdowns with just four interceptions on a four-game winning streak.

“That’s not how we wanted the first game to end, but, the stuff that happened,” Daniels said. “They got really good players over there, very talented players, and you got to go out there and be physical with them. That’s what they’re going to do with us, so it’s going to be a heavyweight match. It’s going to be a good one.”

McCarthy has been coy this week about whether Trey Lance might finally get a look for the first time since he played extensively in the preseason. Cooper Rush has validated the belief in the club’s front office that he’s a solid backup to Prescott, going 4-4.

It's highly unlikely one regular-season start would move the needle much on Dallas’ sense of wanting to bring back Lance, who arrived in a trade before last season after Lance lost the battle for the backup job in San Francisco. The 49ers moved up to get him with the No. 3 pick in the 2021 draft. The return of Lance seems like a long shot.

Either way, the Cowboys will be in the market for a backup in the offseason. Rush and Lance are on expiring contracts.

Washington running back Austin Ekeler, who was concussed on a kickoff return late against the Cowboys on Nov. 24, is on track to come off injured reserve. He could have an impact as a receiving and change-of-pace option after Brian Robinson, Chris Rodriguez and Jeremy McNichols have averaged just 2.1 yards a carry over the past three games.

“Austin is a dynamic player: obviously just the different dynamics he brings running the football, receiving out of the backfield,” Daniels said. “Other guys stepped in and filled in that role, but it’s good to get Austin back this late in the season and keep ramping up from there.”

At the moment, Dallas' Brandon Aubrey has the NFL record for the most field goals of at least 50 yards in one season with 14. But the race is still on. Houston's Ka’imi Fairbairn has 13, and Pittsburgh's Chris Boswell is still in the running with 12.

AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.

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Dallas Cowboys' Bryan Anger (5) and Brandon Aubrey (17) celebrate after Aubrey kicked a field goal in the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Washington Commanders linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. (6) reacts after a defensive stop during the second half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush speaks to reporters following an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Philadelphia. The Eagles won 41-7. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) waves to the crowd after an overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons during an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. The Commanders won 30-24. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, right, talks with quarterback Dak Prescott prior to an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn calls out from the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

CHICAGO (AP) — Derrick Rose wasn't sure how he will feel when sees his No. 1 hanging from the rafters. He was still trying to process the news.

The Chicago Bulls announced Saturday they plan to retire Rose's jersey sometime next season. The Chicago product and MVP will join Michael Jordan (23), Scottie Pippen (33), Jerry Sloan (4) and Bob Love (10) as the only players whose numbers have been retired by the team.

Team president and CEO Michael Reinsdorf informed him in person on Saturday morning, telling him “nobody’s wearing that No. 1 jersey again” unless son PJ plays for the team. Rose, who retired in September after 16 seasons, was already scheduled to be honored with tributes before and during their game against the New York Knicks that night. The Bulls said they will have more details about the jersey retirement at a later date.

“Tonight is not about that,” Rose said. He said it was about showing appreciation for “everybody that was a part of the story, the journey, the good, the bad, the ugly.”

“It's celebrating everyone,” he said. “I understand coming from Chicago that it's tough love. It's a lot of tough love. You could forget about the love sometimes and just give toughness. Coming back, me being raised off of that tough love, I just wanted to show the love part. There's toughness, too, but you don't have to be tough all the time. It's understanding and realizing why I'm here.”

Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement: “Derrick is both a hometown hero and a symbol of an entire era of Bulls basketball."

On Saturday, the Bulls unveiled the “Derrick Rose Experience” in the United Center’s atrium showcasing memorabilia from his career. Players on both teams wore themed shooting shirts displaying “1.4.25” symbolizing the date as well as the numbers he wore with the Bulls, Knicks and at Chicago's Simeon Career Academy. Black T-shirts emblazoned with a red rose were at each seat. There were to be moments throughout the game recognizing Rose, his family and teammates.

At halftime, Rose walked out to those familiar “MVP! MVP!” chants after a highlight video played. He took a seat next to his mom, Brenda. He broke down when former teammate Joakim Noah told him he “always put your city on your back” and said he's “the people's champ.” Another video narrated by PJ was shown before Rose addressed the crowd.

“So well deserved,” New York's Tom Thibodeau, who coached Rose in his prime with the Bulls as well as in New York and Minnesota, said before the game. “For what he means to the city, the Bulls, the entire NBA. I had the opportunity to coach against him, so I know how difficult that is. I had the good fortune to coach him. You see in looking in the eyes of the opponent, when they had to guard him you could see the fear and the respect.”

Thibodeau said Rose — known for his humility almost as much as his explosiveness — was “probably the most beloved player in the league." He also said he belongs in the Hall of Fame.

Rose, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft, went from being Rookie of the Year to an All-Star to NBA MVP in his first three seasons. He remains the league's youngest MVP, winning it when he was 22.

A major knee injury during the 2012 playoffs forced him to miss almost two full seasons and he contemplated stepping away from the game several times following other injury issues.

Rose averaged 17.4 points and 5.2 assists in 723 regular-season games. He averaged 21 points per game before the ACL tear 12 years ago and 15.1 per game in the seasons that followed. But he insisted he doesn't think about what might have been if not for the injuries.

“The last time I had those conversations was years and years ago," he said. “Who knows? But at the same time, with me being obsessed, I wouldn't have found out who I was as a person. I was obsessed with the game. Not love, I was obsessed. If I would have won one championship, I would have wanted four. And that would have pulled me further and further away from finding self-knowledge, self-revelation, my identity. Everybody's story is different. For some reason, mine ended being this way. Coming from Chicago, we roll with the punches.”

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Former NBA player Derrick Rose answers questions during a news conference before an NBA basketball game between the New York Knicks and the Chicago Bulls, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)

Players warm up on Derrick Rose Night before an NBA basketball game between the New York Knicks and the Chicago Bulls, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)

T-shirts are on seats on Derrick Rose Night before an NBA basketball game between the New York Knicks and the Chicago Bulls, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)