Many around the league have taken this recent praise as a sign Mike McCarthy and staff are destined to return. While that remains a possibility, it’s still, by many accounts, unlikely. Jerry Jones frequently praised Jason Garrett in the weeks leading up to his departure in 2020. It didn’t serve a purpose to slander his coach before his deal expired so Jones continued to publicly support and praise Garrett, even if he knew his coaching protégé was out.
It stands to reason if Jones really wanted to retain McCarthy he would have re-signed him back in January. It would have removed the lame duck status from McCarthy’s plate and locked up a coach when his value was seemingly at its lowest.
But Jones didn’t. Coming off one of the biggest embarrassments in franchise history, McCarthy was lucky to even return, let alone get a new deal. Jones handed the former Super Bowl winning coach a readymade contender in 2020, and all McCarthy accomplished was more of the same as Garrett.
Sure, McCarthy produced three 12-win seasons in a row, but he still suffered the same postseason fate as Garrett did before him. In the playoffs, a time of the year when scheme and strategy are at their most important, McCarthy was repeatedly out-schemed, out-strategized and outcoached. The regular season wins were nice but how much value did McCarthy really provide and how much was a natural byproduct of a talented roster?
Jones has been known to use contract years as motivation for players and coaches in the past so it’s possible he has been doing the same for McCarthy. But considering he simultaneously synched his other coaching contracts to match McCarthy’s speaks to his intensions in 2025.
With the entire coaching staff reportedly working on expiring deals this season, the table has been set for a clean sweep in 2025. The Cowboys will be an attractive landing spot for a would-be head coach because he won’t inherit holdovers who are finishing off old deals.
Beginning the season as a dead man walking, so to speak, McCarthy has certainly made a compelling case to stay around. After starting 3-7, the former Super Bowl winning coach has brought the Cowboys back from the dead, logging four wins over the last five games. The early hole ultimately removed Dallas from the postseason equation but also gave McCarthy a chance to show the character and resolve of a team that just won’t quit.
Is not quitting enough to get McCarthy a fresh new deal in the coming weeks?
Probably not. Jones would have to think McCarthy offered the team more than just effort and inspiration to give him a new contract in 2025. And if he thought McCarthy did, why didn’t he extend his contract earlier?
Some are saying the head coaching position in Dallas is McCarthy’s to lose but all signs point to a complete overhaul. Nothing to do now but watch how the new year unfolds.