LAS VEGAS – Last Thursday night here in Las Vegas at Super Bowl Week, he Dallas Cowboys had a done deal with new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer as Washington-bound Dan Quinn’s replacement, except for one problem.

The “done deal” wasn’t done.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones himself did however say that he “had been on the phone all afternoon with our future defensive coach,” and we knew that to be Zimmer, who was set to come to The Star as head coach Mike McCarthy’s top aide.

CowboysSI.com reported early Monday morning that there is a “contractual” snag on the way to making the official hire, however, and now comes ESPN’s Adam Schefter with a hazy suggestion that Rex Ryan – who interviewed well with the Jones family a week ago – is re-entering the picture as a candidate.

“They loved Rex,” Schefter said on the “Pat McAfee Show.” “Jerry Jones was ready to run through Mike Zimmer’s deal is not done yet. So they … they … they have reached out to Rex subsequent to that. … (mumbles something unintelligible) … and that’s where the confusion came!”

Schefter is not clear about whether the “reach out” happened on Sunday before he and Ryan appeared together on the ESPN set, or if it happened on Monday … which would be indicated by his wording “subsequent to that.”

Except … “subsequent to” what?

Schefter almost seems nervous about discussing Ryan’s involvement, maybe a result of Ryan having contradicted his “done deal” report on live TV on Sunday.

That clash came in the form of Ryan stating, “I can honestly say right here, first off, I’m not so sure that Zimmer’s got that job right now. Not real sure about that.”

Schefter didn’t like being called out, as he subtly makes clear on the McAfee show. And because of that, instead of just reporting on the story, he’s become part of the story … and that story is still about Zimmer being the pinpointed guy but about Ryan clearly waiting in the wings for another phone call …

A call that may be a new development, something that cannot be determined through Schefter’s nervous mumbling.

Where do we think this is all going? Listen and watch to the Fish Podcast and the Fish Report, here.