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Dallas Cowboys reward Jason Garrett with a five-year deal

Dallas Cowboys Coach Jason Garrett and receiver Dez Bryant, right, celebrate after a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers in divisional playoff game on Jan. 11. The Packers beat the Cowboys, 26-21.
(Mike McGinnis / Getty Images)
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Dallas Coach Jason Garrett fielded questions about his shaky job security for two years before breaking through with the first trip to the playoffs for the Cowboys since 2009.

Now he’s all but guaranteed to have the second-longest coaching tenure for the storied franchise behind Tom Landry, the only coach the Cowboys knew for their first 29 years.

Garrett has a new five-year contract, and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli is also coming back on a three-year deal, a person with knowledge of both agreements told the Associated Press on Tuesday.

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Garrett will make about $6 million annually — roughly $30 million in total value — after just completing his first contract, at four years and $20 million.

The Cowboys broke through a three-year rut of 8-8 seasons that ended with losses that kept them out of the playoffs by winning the NFC East at 12-4. Dallas beat Detroit in the wild-card round before last weekend’s 26-21 divisional round loss at Green Bay.

The 48-year-old Garrett, a former backup on Dallas’ Super Bowl-winning teams of the 1990s, is 42-32 in four-plus seasons and needs two victories to tie his old coach, Jimmy Johnson, for second on the franchise wins list. Landry is third all-time in the NFL with 250 victories.

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The New York Jets hired former Houston Texans executive Mike Maccagnan to replace the fired John Idzik.

Maccagnan was Houston’s director of college scouting and the only GM candidate who received a second meeting with the Jets. Maccagnan first interviewed with owner Woody Johnson and consultants Charley Casserly and Ron Wolf last Monday before having another meeting Friday and staying in New Jersey over the weekend.

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The Jets are still searching for a coach to replace Rex Ryan, who was fired along with Idzik on Dec. 29 after a 4-12 season.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t search far for Dick LeBeau’s replacement. The team promoted longtime linebackers coach Keith Butler to defensive coordinator, giving him a three-year contract and tasking him with restoring some of the snarl to a defense in the midst of a generational shift.

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