Mike McCarthy reveals what he told Dan Quinn about staying with Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy has endured a fairly awkward offseason, with his owner seemingly musing about replacing him with his defensive coordinator. Despite all that, McCarthy is adamant that he is very much comfortable with his situation.

McCarthy revealed on “The Rich Eisen Show” Tuesday that he pressed defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to return, even though Quinn was aware of the narrative around the Cowboys’ coaching position and did not want to add undue pressure on McCarthy.

“We talked about him staying here long before he ever took the interview[s],” McCarthy said, via Patrik Walker of CBS Sports. “Now, obviously, when he took the interview[s] and this narrative broke out — in reflection to the relationship Dan and I do have — he said, ‘Hey man, I’m not comfortable with this narrative. If you really feel like I need to take one of these jobs, just be honest with me.’ We kind of laughed about it, and I just said, ‘Dan, 10 to 12 years ago I’d tell you to please get the hell out of here. I don’t want to deal with this.’

“But the reality is I’m about winning, he’s about winning and the best thing for the Cowboys is for Dan Quinn to be here. It was his decision and his decision alone, but I clearly wanted him to know that from the start of all of that, I wanted him here. It’s in the best interest of us winning.”

This is as good a response as McCarthy is going to be able to come up with. After all, Jerry Jones basically endorsed Quinn as a head coach even though he’s still employing McCarthy. If McCarthy wanted Quinn to take an opportunity elsewhere, he could certainly justify that stance.

For now, McCarthy is still employed, though it’s pretty obvious he needs to make progress in 2022 for things to stay that way. Quinn will help toward that goal, but he’ll also help fuel rumors about McCarthy’s status.

Photo: 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