Dallas Cowboys head coach entered the 2024 NFL season on a contract year, needing to prove himself after three consecutive 12-win seasons to earn a new deal from Jerry Jones. Nearing the end of a disappointing season for the franchise, Cowboys rumors on McCarthy’s future are shifting.
McCarthy’s fate in Dallas seemed determined in the middle of November. Having already lost Dak Prescott to season-ending surgery, the Cowboys fell to 3-7 after a blowout 34-10 loss to the Houston Texans. At that time, it seemed a foregone conclusion that the Cowboys head coach would be fired.
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- Mike McCarthy coaching record: 174-111-2 overall, 49-34 as the Dallas Cowboys coach
However, Jones publicly stood by his head coach and the team rallied. Dallas beat the Washington Commanders the following week and then won four of their next five games, improving to 7-8. It came amid NFL rumors that many around the league were now increasingly confident McCarthy would return in 2025. Meanwhile, Cowboys players publicly stood by their head coach.
Now, according to ESPN‘s Jeremy Fowler, many around the league only believe McCarthy has a “small chance” to remain the Cowboys head coach in 2025. While Dallas isn’t currently “leaning in one direction as of this moment”, it does appear McCarthy’s odds of keeping the job aren’t as high as anticipated.
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It would be a dramatic change after more than a month of Jones standing by his head coach, praising him for the work he’s done this season.
“I don’t know how you cannot say that his team has shown they’ll handle adversity & he can get you there with the injury situation impacting…availability.”
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on Mike McCarthy (H/T Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports)
The issue for Dallas is what happens not long after the regular season wraps. Not only does McCarthy’s contract expire, but a majority of the contracts on the Cowboys coaching staff also end after Week 18. It allows McCarthy to pursue other head-coaching jobs and Cowboys assistants can also look elsewhere for gigs.
The pool of NFL coaching candidates in 2025 also isn’t considered particularly strong. There are also reasons why top candidates such as Mike Vrabel and Ben Johnson likely wouldn’t want the Dallas job, considering the spectacle Jones creates.
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Given the level of support McCarthy has received from the Cowboys locker room, especially team leaders, parting ways with him after so many glowing comments from Jones might raise more questions about the Cowboys front office. It could also make this job even less attractive than it already is.