If Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is on the hot seat following Sunday night’s embarrassing loss to the Green Bay Packers, he may be surprised to hear it.
McCarthy has one year remaining on his contract with the Cowboys. According to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Jerry Jones privately assured McCarthy during the season that the coach’s job was safe. Just before the playoffs began, however, Jones told reporters “we’ll see how each game goes” when he was given a chance to state publicly that McCarthy will return in 2024.
If Jones was truly judging McCarthy’s job performance on a game-by-game basis, that does not bode well for the 60-year-old’s future with the franchise.
Jones likely assured McCarthy that his job was safe when the Cowboys were firing on all cylinders during the regular season. It would not exactly be shocking if Jones changed his mind after Dallas was blown out 48-32 by the Packers at AT&T Stadium on Sunday.
Following Sunday’s loss, Jones once again passed on an opportunity to put the McCarthy speculation to rest.
“It’s as fresh on me right now as it is on anybody else, but I won’t get into to addressing any aspects or any part of it,” the Cowboys owner said. “From the coaching to the players to what’s around the corner.”
McCarthy has led the Cowboys to three consecutive 12-win seasons. Though the results in the playoffs have been disappointing, there probably would be a lot less for Jones to think about if Bill Belichick had remained with the New England Patriots.
Many prominent reporters have said Jones will at least consider the possibility of trying to lure Belichick to Dallas. Jones is 81 and has openly spoken about how badly he wants to win another Super Bowl in his lifetime. If he believes Belichick has a better chance of delivering a championship than McCarthy, a change might be inevitable.
