Report sheds light on Mike McCarthy’s future with Cowboys

Oct 3, 2021; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy on the field before the game against the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Mike McCarthy has been dealt a difficult hand in his lame-duck season with the Dallas Cowboys, but it does not sound like team owner Jerry Jones is expected to have much sympathy for the head coach at the end of the year.

The Cowboys made it clear that McCarthy would be coaching for his job in 2024 when they chose not to sign him to a contract extension prior to the season. Most assumed McCarthy would need, at the very least, a playoff victory to inspire Dallas to bring him back next year.

In a column that was published on Wednesday, ESPN’s Dan Graziano wrote that it would “surprise a lot of people” if McCarthy returned as the head coach of the Cowboys in 2025.

On the surface, that makes sense. The Cowboys fell to 3-6 with their blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. They appear to be heading toward missing the postseason for the first time since 2020. Dallas has just one playoff win under McCarthy over the last three years, and there was talk of him being on the hot seat following last year’s blowout home loss to the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round.

Of course, injuries have arguably been a bigger issue for the Cowboys this season than coaching. Micah Parsons, who is Dallas’ best defensive player, just returned after missing several games with an ankle injury. All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland has not played at all this season due to a foot injury. And then there is Dak Prescott, who suffered a hamstring injury in Week 9 and will miss the remainder of the season.

The Cowboys were not playing well offensively even when Prescott was healthy, so that will work against McCarthy. But if for some reason Dallas has a respectable second half of the season without their star quarterback, Jones might decide the 61-year-old coach has earned one more opportunity to prove he can win with a healthy roster.