The Dallas Cowboys’ coaching search took another turn Thursday with news that former Seattle coach Pete Carroll has spoken with team owner Jerry Jones, two people with knowledge of the search confirmed to The Dallas Morning News.

For most of the season, it was assumed that the Cowboys would be looking for a new coach. Late in the year, owner and G.M. Jerry Jones seemed to be warming up to the idea of keeping Mike McCarthy around.

The Dallas Cowboys were recently taken to task over owner Jerry Jones' handling of the head coaching situation.

Editor's note: This story was published early Monday. Later, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Mike McCarthy is not expected to return to Dallas and is now set to become a free agent, per source. The two sides engaged in no discussions about a new deal, and McCarthy is expected to be a candidate in Chicago and New Orleans.

After five seasons with Mike McCarthy at the helm, the Dallas Cowboys are on the hunt for a new head coach. The next head coach will be tasked with succeeding where so many of his predecessors have failed.

If Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is looking for a top-chart name as his next head coach, the fanbase may begin to spiral if one name is announced.

There is a betting favorite to land the Dallas Cowboys head coaching job, and it might make the fanbase angrier than they already were before.

However, it has taken a turn for the worse in recent days, which was really inevitable given Jerry Jones is overseeing the search. It never seemed realistic the Cowboys would consider Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson for the vacancy.

It seems like the Cowboys are no closer to zeroing in on their head coach, but it shouldn't be too much of a surprise considering Jerry Jones' approach to ironing out contracts in the past. Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore still appears to be the leader in the clubhouse,