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Mike McCarthy will not return as the Dallas Cowboys’ head coach, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, ending a five-year tenure with the team.
Tom Pelissero @TomPelissero
Sources: Mike McCarthy is out as <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cowboys?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Cowboys</a> coach. <br><br>The sides couldn’t agree on length of contract and McCarthy will pursue other opportunities. He leaves Dallas with a winning record and three playoff appearances. <a href=”https://t.co/MJzWvUlfjU”>pic.twitter.com/MJzWvUlfjU</a>
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints will have interest in McCarthy.
The Cowboys went 49-35 from 2020-2024 under McCarthy, making the playoffs each year from 2021-2023 and winning the NFC East in 2021 and 2023. Dallas also won 12 games apiece from 2021-2023, marking the team’s most successful three-year regular-season stretch since 1993-1995.
However, playoff success did not follow. McCarthy’s teams were notably upset by the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers at home in the NFC Wild Card Round in 2021 and 2023, respectively.
The offense largely went dormant in the 49ers game en route to a 23-17 loss. Dallas was down 23-7 with 12 minutes left before staging a rally that was too little and too late.
Two years later, Dallas was a heavy favorite against the No. 7 seed Packers. But Green Bay crushed the Cowboys, opening up a 27-0 second-quarter lead and a 48-16 fourth-quarter advantage en route to a 48-32 win. The defense wilted against the Packers, allowing quarterback Jordan Love to throw for 13.0 yards per pass and Aaron Jones to rush for 118 yards and three scores.
In between those losses, Dallas did get one playoff win, crushing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-14 in the NFC Wild Card Round in Tom Brady’s last game. But the Cowboys followed that up with a 19-12 loss at San Francisco in which the offense struggled yet again.
The 2024 season began with McCarthy entering the final season of a five-year contract signed before the 2020 campaign. It was clear that McCarthy had to prove himself to shed the lame-duck status and earn an extension.
Dallas started 3-2 but then went on a five-game losing streak. Quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending hamstring injury in Week 9, and the Cowboys defense under first-year defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer bottomed out.
Blowouts were commonplace, including defeats to the New Orleans Saints (44-19), Detroit Lions (47-9), Philadelphia Eagles (34-6 and 41-7) and Houston Texans (34-10).
Dallas stemmed the losing tide, upsetting the second-place Washington Commanders 34-26 to move to 4-7.
Two days after that game, owner Jerry Jones said on 105.3 The Fan that he didn’t think an extension for McCarthy was “crazy at all.”
“That’s not crazy. Listen, Mike McCarthy is an outstanding coach. … This is a Super Bowl-winning coach. Mike McCarthy has been there, done that, he’s got great ideas. Bottom line is, there’s no place in my body language or anything else that you’ve seen indications about what we’re going to be doing relative to this staff at the end of this year. And we shouldn’t. We’ve got a lot of football left.”
McCarthy’s Cowboys did finish a respectable 4-3 after the tough 3-7 start, but the team still fell four games short of the playoffs.
After the season finished, McCarthy’s status was still up in the air, but news emerged of his contract expiration date of Jan. 14.
The Bears, who were in the market for a head coach after firing Matt Eberflus on Nov. 29, inquired with Dallas about speaking to McCarthy.
Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter
Chicago Bears have sought permission to interview Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy and are awaiting a response from Dallas, sources tell me and <a href=”https://twitter.com/toddarcher?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@toddarcher</a>.<br><br>If the Cowboys don’t allow permission this week, the Bears could interview McCarthy after his exclusive negotiating window… <a href=”https://t.co/zoS7vHO5mF”>pic.twitter.com/zoS7vHO5mF</a>
However, that permission was denied, per Schefter.
And so Dallas is searching for answers yet again. A Super Bowl appearance remains elusive after three decades and counting. The team, over the years, has had the talent to get there, but the Cowboys have been unable to get over the hump. The hope, of course, is that the next coach can get Dallas there once and for all.
