By Mark Maske
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 18, 2008

Jason Garrett spurned head coaching opportunities in Baltimore and Atlanta to remain the offensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys, and became the NFL's highest-paid assistant coach in the process.

The Cowboys reworked Garrett's contract to raise his salary to more than $3 million per season, a source familiar with the negotiations said yesterday, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the financial terms of the deal were not announced. Garrett, a former NFL backup quarterback, now makes about the same amount as the team's head coach, Wade Phillips.

Garrett met with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones late Wednesday after returning from a second round of interviews with the Ravens and Falcons. The Cowboys, according to sources, had offered to match the financial terms of any head coaching offers that Garrett received. He was in demand after overseeing the league's third-ranked offense this season. But Jones desperately wanted to keep him after hiring Garrett last offseason even before hiring Phillips.

Garrett's withdrawal left the Ravens apparently focused on Philadelphia Eagles secondary coach John Harbaugh and the Falcons on Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan.

The Ravens issued a written statement that said: "We did negotiate with Jason Garrett to become our head coach. In the end, he decided to stay in Dallas. We're continuing our second round of interviews. We're excited with the candidates, and we're confident we will select the best head coach for the Ravens."

Tom Dimitroff, the Falcons' new general manager, said in a written statement: "Jason Garrett informed us [yesterday] morning that he has decided to remain in Dallas as offensive coordinator of the Cowboys. Jason is an impressive individual, and a talented football coach. . . . We are continuing our process of finding the best head coach for the Atlanta Falcons." . . .

The Tennessee Titans hired Broncos assistant Mike Heimerdinger as offensive coordinator. . . . Assistant head coach Jim Caldwell would replace Tony Dungy if the Indianapolis Colts' coach retires, team owner Jim Irsay said last night.

The NFL is going back to London, announcing that it will play a regular season game there again next season. The teams that will play in the game and the venue are to be announced during Super Bowl week, according to the league. This season, the New York Giants beat the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 28 at Wembley Stadium.

"The game in London was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the entire 2007 season," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a written statement released by the league. "The fan interest was tremendous. The passion they demonstrated for our sport that day continued throughout the season, as television viewership in the U.K. has grown by 40 percent since the game. We had an overwhelmingly positive response to the event from all involved. . . . We look forward to another spectacular event in 2008."

The league's franchise owners in 2006 approved a five-year plan to play one to two regular season games overseas annually as part of an attempt to increase the sport's global popularity. The Giants-Dolphins game, which drew a sellout crowd of 81,176, was the first game staged under that plan. The NFL played its first regular season game outside the United States in October 2005 when the Arizona Cardinals beat the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.