Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is not in danger of losing his job heading into 2022. We know this because his boss has finally come out and said as much.
Jerry Jones addressed the questions about McCarthy’s future during a Friday appearance on 105.3 The Fan. He insisted the coach’s job was never in jeopardy and said McCarthy was working with the team to try to keep defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. Jones claimed it was part of his strategy to not come out and say McCarthy would be back in 2022.
More Jones to DMN: He again stressed not offering public support to McCarthy was a strategic decision because he was concerned doing so could, “influence the balance of some relative interest in Dan.”
Cited that Sean Payton, Jason Garrett & now Quinn have stayed despite HC oops.
— David Moore (@DavidMooreDMN) January 28, 2022
More from Jerry Jones to DMN: “My goal was to keep the continuity of this group together. We met many times face to face w/ Dan, myself & Mike, to coordinate & talk to him.
“We were very much in a competitive environment because we felt Dan did have the opportunity to be a HC.”
— David Moore (@DavidMooreDMN) January 28, 2022
Quinn informed teams this week that he has removed his name from consideration for head coaching jobs. It’s unclear exactly how the two things are connected. Either way, Jones said he never considered McCarthy’s future in Dallas to be “wishy washy.”
Some have speculated that there could be even more pressure on McCarthy now that Sean Payton has stepped down as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints. Payton is planning to take at least a year off, but he was an assistant coach with the Cowboys before he was hired by the Saints. He has a strong relationship with Jones. As expected, Jones dodged those questions.
Jerry Jones on if there’s more pressure on Cowboys coaches, knowing Sean Payton is out there: “Not at all. I think a lot of Sean. But there’s gonna be somebody other than Sean winning the Super Bowl this year…There’s no one person indispensable as far as winning the Super Bowl.”
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) January 28, 2022
There is little doubt that Jones would be open to hiring Payton in 2023 if things don’t work out with McCarthy next season. Jones would obviously prefer for the Cowboys to have better results under McCarthy so he doesn’t feel the need to make a change.
Jones was asked about McCarthy’s job status last week, and his response seemed quite telling. While McCarthy is going to return as the head coach in Dallas next season, he obviously has to makes Jones and Cowboys fans forget the brutal way 2021 ended. If he can’t do that, Jones will probably make a change.
Photo: Sep 19, 2021; Inglewood, California, USA; Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
