At or near the top of almost any NFL coaching list would be longtime Steeler head coach. He brings with him a history of winning, a Super Bowl ring and a jaw that could crank a walnut.
The Bills, currently without a head coach to call their own, made a Hail Mary shoutout to Cowher to see if he might be interested. With the changes to the salary keep looming and the Bills being located in Buffalo, NY, Bill let his suitor down gently.
Cowher informed the team that he is not interested in speaking to any clubs about potential jobs until after the season, however, according to the sources, and he could have several options available to him should he opt to return to coaching in 2010.
Upstate New York copy editors everywhere shed a tear at the lost potential of having a Bill coach the Bills.
That would be that except that Cowher is apparently now telling folks that if that offer would come from the Bears or Texans, he would be much more interested.
An NFL Network report Monday night cited a source that said the idea of coaching the Bears or Texans "would excite,'' Cowher if the job becomes open.
That'll simply make the anti-Lovie contingent among Bears fans even more antsy. But the same report said Cowher would command in the range of $10 million per-season - a staggering price even for a head coach with a Super Bowl ring.
When Jim Mora Jr. floated the idea of coaching the Washington Huskies while employed by the Falcons a few years back, he was vilified. Now Cowher isn't working for another squad, but to publicly throw his name out there for two jobs that currently have head coaches, well that just seems like some sort of breach of Head Coach Fraternity Code. It will be interesting to se if Cowher gets a pass on this, especially in Chicago where many might be more than happy to push Lovie Smith out the door for The Chin.