Subscribe
Follow Us
While there has been noise for years — stemming from repeated postseason failures under head coach Mike McCarthy's watch — that the Dallas Cowboys were eyeing a new head coach, team owner Jerry Jones has given no indication that he's planning on moving on from McCarthy at the end of the season, even going as far as saying last week, “I can't tell you how proud I am of the way the coaching staff, led by Mike McCarthy.”
However, even if Jones wants to bring McCarthy back for another go-round in 2025, this is a decision that is actually out of his hands. According to Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Mike McCarthy and most of his assistants all have contracts that expire after the season, and while this is not unique to the way Dallas has handled business in the past — they twice let Jason Garrett's contract expire — McCarthy's pedigree puts the Cowboys in a tough position heading into the offseason.
“The big difference between McCarthy and Garrett is that McCarthy — a Super Bowl champion in Green Bay who has a .612 career winning percentage, including a 49-33 mark in Dallas — may well have other head coaching opportunities upon hitting free agency.”
The two teams mentioned as candidates for McCarthy's services are the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints, both of which are operating with interim head coaches at the moment. While Darren Rizzi is expected to get a look at retaining that position on a full-time basis in New Orleans, it's likely that the Saints will weigh all of their options, including McCarthy if the coaching veteran inquires about the job.
In addition to the Saints and Jets, the Chicago Bears are also finishing the season with an interim head coach, and it's possible that a handful of other teams — like the New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, and Jacksonville Jaguars — could have a head coach opening not long after the season ends. Even in the midst of a disappointing 7-8 season, McCarthy's stock is higher than Jason Garrett's was in the final few years of his tenure. All of these organizations would likely at least consider him as a candidate.
Under Garrett, it often felt like the Cowboys were underachieving, almost as if some of their best teams were held back by his shortcomings. This season especially, it's felt like Dallas stayed afloat because they were willing to continue playing hard for McCarthy, even as the roster was ravaged by injuries all season long.
