Nick Eatman

FRISCO, Texas - The Cowboys are moving on from Kellen Moore as the offensive coordinator, announcing the mutual decision to part ways Sunday night.

The Cowboys also announced QB coach Doug Nussmeier will not return to the staff as well.

Moore has been the Cowboys' OC for the past four seasons, which includes the first season under former head coach Jason Garrett and the last three on Mike McCarthy's staff.

But although the Cowboys had one of the most productive offenses in the league over the last two seasons, Moore will not be retained despite having another year left on his contract.

Additionally, McCarthy could assume the play-calling duties according to multiple reports. McCarthy was the primary play-caller for many years during his time as head coach in Green Bay, calling the plays for Aaron Rodgers.

"After continuing through our end of season review process and having additional discussion, Kellen and the Cowboys reached a mutual decision to part ways. I want to thank Kellen for his deep commitment, hard work and dedication that were a core part of his time with the Cowboys," said Cowboys Head Coach Mike McCarthy. "The production of our offense and his mentorship of Dak were at the center of Kellen's impact, and we are grateful for his tenure and leadership. We wish Kellen and his wife, Julie, and their family the absolute best as they set out on the next chapter of their lives."

As for Nussmeier, he has been on the staff for the past five seasons, beginning as the tight ends coach before shifting to the quarterbacks coach.

"We also wish Doug and his wife, Christi, and their family the best," McCarthy said. "Doug is the consummate professional and brought a level of football insight, enthusiasm and focus to work every day that helped everyone he worked with during his time here with the Cowboys perform at a higher level."

This year, the Cowboys were near the bottom of the league in scoring average in the middle of the season with Dak Prescott out for five games with a thumb injury. When Dak returned, the Cowboys lit up the scoreboard enough - with four games of 40+ points - to finish fifth in the NFL with a 27.3 average at the end of the regular season.

And while the Cowboys were able to score 34 points in Tampa Bay to claim their first road playoff win in 30 years, the offense sputtered against the 49ers last week in the Divisional round, scoring just 12 points. The same 49ers defense gave up 31 points to the Eagles on Sunday as Philly advanced to the Super Bowl.

Ironically enough, Moore interviewed for the Eagles head coaching job two years ago near the end of the 2020 season. Last week, he also interviewed for the Panthers job but was passed over for Frank Reich.

Moore first joined the Cowboys as a player in 2015 when he was one of four quarterbacks to start a game during a dismal 4-12 season. He went 0-3 as a starter in the last three games, but did throw for 435 yards in a loss to Washington, becoming one of five players in franchise history to have a 400-yard passing game.

In 2016, an ankle injury in training camp paved the way for Dak Prescott to jump into the backup role behind Tony Romo and eventually take over for a magical rookie season. Moore's playing career ended but he joined the coaching staff in 2018 as the quarterbacks coach and then became offensive coordinator in 2019.

*With Moore and Nussmeier out, that makes eight assistant coaches that will not return for 2023. On Thursday, the team announced Leon Lett, Skip Peete, George Edwards, Joe Philbin, Kyle Valero and Rob Davis would not have their contracts renewed.