Former NFL head coach says there’s ‘no doubt’ Dallas Cowboys fire Mike McCarthy

By Andrew Buller-Russ

·Updated: November 11, 2024

Dallas Cowboys, Mike McCarthy — Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Mike McCarthy’s seat was already hot entering Week 10. But after the Dallas Cowboys suffered one of their ugliest losses of the season on Sunday, in a 34-6 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles, McCarthy’s hot seat only raised in temperature.

Now the Cowboys enter Week 11 with a 3-6 record, facing a hungry Houston Texans team that nearly took down one of the NFL’s best on Sunday Night Football. Yet, in the aftermath of Dak Prescott’s season-ending hamstring injury, there’s a sense that things will get worse before they improve in Dallas.

Rex Ryan thinks Dallas Cowboys fire Mike McCarthy

Even dating back to before the 2024 NFL season kicked off, Mike McCarthy was already on a hot seat. One of the reasons is due to how the Cowboys had the NFL’s best offense and the fifth-best defense, yet still got smoked in their NFC Wild Card matchup against the Green Bay Packers.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has made it very clear. Coaches in Dallas are judged on their playoff success, and McCarthy’s gone 1-3 in the postseason with the Cowboys. He’s also in the last year of his contract, which makes this offseason a bad time to negotiate a new deal due to their recent struggles.

Yet, if we ask former Jets and Bills head coach Rex Ryan, Coach McCarthy won’t be returning to the Cowboys next season anyway.

“I already know, Mike McCarthy’s a good football coach, but he’s gonna be out the door, there’s no doubt about it. The whole thing’s gonna be blown up. “
Rex Ryan on Dallas Cowboys moving on from Mike McCarthy

Rex Ryan getting an early jump on the NFL’s coaching carousel: pic.twitter.com/3mo76Emv1Y
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 11, 2024

Ryan went on to suggest Deion Sanders would be the perfect replacement for McCarthy in Dallas, partially because he’s a former Cowboys player who would not only take pride in the job but also get high-profile athletes like Micah Parsons to buy into what Coach Prime is selling.

If/when the Cowboys move on from McCarthy, the job will attract widespread interest, and even though he’s denied a desire to join the NFL coaching ranks in the past, Sanders could have a hard time turning down a strong offer.