Speculation has swirled around Mike McCarthy’s job security all season long.
The Dallas Cowboys struggles this season have appeared to amplify the noise surrounding the head coach. The Cowboys did manage to upset the Washington Commanders this past Sunday, but the team’s overall record sits at 4-7. Dallas is still projected to land a top-12 draft pick.
McCarthy is in the last year of his contract, and it remains unclear whether longtime team owner Jerry Jones would opt to bring him or any members of the current coaching staff back. During an appearance on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday, Jones was asked if offering McCarthy a contract extension was something that he would consider questionable.
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Head coach Mike McCarthy of the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones talk with the media during a press conference at the Ford Center at The Star on January 08, 2020 in Frisco, Texas. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
“I don’t think that’s crazy at all. That’s not crazy,” Jones said. “Listen, Mike McCarthy is an outstanding coach. … Mike McCarthy has been there, done that. He’s got great ideas. So the bottom line is in no place in my body language or anything else have you seen an indication about what we’re going to be doing relative to this staff at the end of this year. And we shouldn’t. We’ve got a lot of football left.”
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McCarthy dismissed questions about Jones’ comments, citing preparations for the Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game against the New York Giants.
Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy watches play against the Las Vegas Raiders in the first half of an NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)
“I really haven’t talked about it all year and definitely not going to start on a short week and an important division game,” he said. “But I’m not going to throw away positive vibes, either. So keep them coming. It’s all good. But, yeah, that’s not something I’m really focused on.”
The Cowboys lost quarterback Dak Prescott to injury earlier this month, but Jones pointed out some reasons for optimism. Dallas wide receiver Brandin Cooks and defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence will soon be eligible to return from injured reserve. Meanwhile, offensive lineman Zack Martin and tight end Jake Ferguson are expected to return soon.
Oct 6, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on the field before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. (Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)
The Cowboys are in third place in the NFC East standings.
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Dallas has not been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, clinching a wild-card spot seems unlikely. Regardless, one thing Dallas won’t be doing is tanking games down the stretch for the sake of better NFL Draft positioning.
“I just think the game is too important. The win is too important,” Jones said. “You look at a coach and, boy, a coach is sitting there, don’t think they don’t add up their wins and losses during their career and they don’t like to have a loss on there if they can just ask for it. And so my point is, for all of us, a win is a very satisfying thing under any circumstance and it helps you build. And so there’s a lot of ambiguity with those draft picks. As you know, I’ve had draft picks that were extraordinarily high that didn’t work. I’ve had them low that knocked it out of the park. And so you’ve got to weigh what happens when you get the picks and the odds of you knocking one out of the park there as well, as opposed to winning a game.”
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