The Dallas Cowboys have had one of their worst seasons in recent memory, but team owner Jerry Jones has made it abundantly clear that he does not believe that is a reflection of the job Mike McCarthy has done in his first season.
Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones said Monday that McCarthy will “absolutely” return as the team’s head coach in 2021. Jerry was even more emphatic about it during his appearance on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday, calling it “ridiculous” that anyone would think McCarthy is on the hot seat.
Jerry Jones on @1053thefan said it’s “ridiculous” to think Mike McCarthy would not be the Cowboys coach next season. “Not one time have I been in any discussion, had any dream or given any thought to not having Mike McCarthy” as Cowboys head coach next season and into the future.
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) December 15, 2020
There was no scenario in which the Cowboys would have only given McCarthy one year, which is understandable. No NFL coach should be judged based on a single season. The fact that the Cowboys lost Dak Prescott to a season-ending ankle injury this year only makes it tougher to evaluate the job McCarthy has done.
The Cowboys improved to 4-9 with a convincing win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Their defense has been a major issue all season, but the unit has shown some signs of improvement in recent weeks. Their offense was ripping prior to Prescott suffering an incredibly gruesome injury, so that is a positive sign.
McCarthy has acknowledged that the Cowboys need to be better, but there’s no question some of their issues this season were beyond his control. It makes sense that his job is safe.
