Cowboys make Garrett highest-paid assistant in NFL

I don't know, Gary Kubiak's name seemed to come up frequently during several offseasons (wasn't he considered a front-runner for the Saints' job before Haslett was hired and hadn't he also taken himself out of the running on other HC openings?) before ultimately taking the Texans' job. I know there have been other assistant coaches whose names get tossed around for a while before they move up to a HC position.

I can't say that Garrett hurt his career by not taking a current HC opening. But since this all just amounts to speculation anyway, another point to consider might be moving up too soon. David Shula was once a rising star on the sidelines also who seems to have disappeared after becoming the youngest head coach (I think) in league history.

What might look like a bad decision to some might end up being a wise decision in the long run.