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Jerry Jones answers whether he is open to Mike McCarthy extension

November 26, 2024
by Steve DelVecchio
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Dallas CowboysJerry JonesMike McCarthy
Mike McCarthy on the sideline wearing a Cowboys hat

Dec 19, 2021; East Rutherford, N.J., USA; Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy looks on during the second half of their game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Cowboys are widely expected to move on from head coach Mike McCarthy after the season, but Jerry Jones insists no decision has been made on the coach’s future.

McCarthy is in the final year of his contract with the Cowboys. During a Tuesday appearance on 105.3 The Fan’s “Shan & RJ” show, Jones was asked about the possibility of McCarthy receiving an extension at the end of the season. The 82-year-old team owner did not rule it out.

“I don’t think that’s crazy at all. That’s not crazy,” Jones said. “Listen, Mike McCarthy’s an outstanding coach. I was listening to the game last night, watching it, and (Troy) Aikman was talking about it and has reiterated that several times. This is a Super Bowl-winning coach. Mike McCarthy has been there, done that. He’s got great ideas.

“So, bottom line is, in no place in my body language or anything else have you seen indications about what we’re gonna be doing relative to the staff at the end of this year.”

McCarthy entered the season as a lame duck, which signaled that the Cowboys wanted to see improvement from the team before committing to the head coach beyond 2024. Dallas went 12-5 each of the last three seasons but won just one playoff game during that span.

Of course, the situation is now a bit more complicated. Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending hamstring injury after eight games. The Cowboys were not playing well prior to that, but you could make the argument that McCarthy did not have much of a chance to lead the team to the playoffs after Prescott went down.

The Cowboys pulled off a surprising 34-26 win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday. If they continue to play inspired football, that would be an indication that players have not given up on McCarthy. Jones might view that as a good sign and give McCarthy another shot, though various reports have made it seem unlikely.