Browns president Mike Holmgren is on his way out. He just hasn’t decided where he’s going or what he would like to do.

Hoping to squelch a weekend report that he would have an interest in coaching the Dallas Cowboys if Jason Garrett gets fired, Holmgren, who may leave the Browns before this season ends, went out of his way to make it known he’s not angling for any job.

Holmgren made an unscheduled appearance in the media room at Browns HQ to deny he’s chasing a future with the Cowboys. During a farewell press conference on Oct. 23, Holmgren had opened the possibility of a return to coaching.

”I haven’t booked my tickets to Dallas,” joked Holmgren. ”I haven’t talked with a single soul. That’s the very first thing. The second thing is I honestly do not know what the future holds or what I want to do. Honestly. Believe me on that. Thirdly, I’ve always been, quite honestly, bothered by the speculation during the season when coaches are attempting to work and they are fighting like crazy for their jobs, and I would never do that.

”I would never do that to anybody. I have tremendous respect for obviously Jason Garrett.”

Adding intrigue is that the Browns (2-7) visit the Cowboys (4-5) this week.

The 64-year-old Holmgren asserted while he and Jones have stayed good friends, he hasn’t expressed any interest in them working again.

”I just wouldn’t do that,” he claimed. ”So help me with that, please. I’m telling you the way that it is. I don’t have any idea how any of that stuff gets started, but I’m telling you the straight scoop on that, OK?”

Holmgren related he’s not spoken to his agent, Bob LaMonte, in a month and he doesn’t know where the report started.

”I don’t know anything about it, I am just letting you know what I’m saying,” he said. ”I’m telling you and you got it straight from the horse’s mouth.” Basketball odds

Holmgren wants to remain with the Browns until the end of this season in an advisory role. He was not offered a position under new Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, who brought in former Philadelphia President Joe Banner as the club’s CEO.

”As long as I feel I can contribute a little bit and helping some of the players and helping the coaches a little bit, Joe (Banner) and I have talked,” Holmgren said. ”As long as I’m feeling good about a contribution I can stay, but if I am not helping that would change, but at the moment the plan is to be here thru the end of the season.”

Holmgren doesn’t think the report on any link to the Cowboys will distract the Cleveland from preparing for this week’s game.

”I cannot imagine that,” he said. ”Why I came down here is that it’s everything I do not believe in on a story like that. I wouldn’t do that. And I didn’t do it. That’s why.”

Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden laughed when he was asked if Holmgren’s situation would sidetrack him and his teammates.

”There’s nothing that can distract us,” Haden said. ”We’ve been through it all.”