HEADLINES

Mike McCarthy Will Not Return As Cowboys’ Head Coach

January 13th, 2025 at 10:20pm CST by Adam La Rose

After talks on a new deal failed to result in an agreement, Mike McCarthy is set to depart the Cowboys. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports Dallas and the former Super Bowl winner will go their separate ways this offseason. A team announcement has since confirmed the news.

Several signs have pointed throughout the year to McCarthy remaining in Dallas despite the fact he spent the season on an expiring contract. He and owner Jerry Jones communicated with one another once the campaign ended, a point at which the Bears and Saints emerged as teams which could be interested in the event McCarthy became a free agent. Tomorrow night looms as the expiration date of his current pact, although Pelissero’s colleague Ian Rapoport notes he is free to speak with teams immediately.

[RELATED: Fallout From Cowboys-McCarthy Separation]

A report from last week stated McCarthy and the Cowboys were set to begin negotiating the terms of a new contract. A window of opportunity therefore existed for the parties to reach an agreement before tomorrow’s deadline, but that will no longer be the case. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported earlier on Monday there had not, in fact, been substantive talks on a new contract up to this point. Now, this latest update on the situation confirms Dallas will be in the market for a new head coach after McCarthy held the role for five seasons.

The first year of that tenure produced a 6-10 season, but McCarthy managed to deliver sustained regular season success after that point. The 61-year-old helped lead Dallas to a 12-5 record every year from 2021-23. This past campaign, a Cowboys roster which lost several key players in the offseason was hit hard by injuries. Dallas fell out of playoff contention early, although a turnaround late in the year seemed to help McCarthy’s stock.

Of course, the veteran’s tenure in Dallas will best be remembered for his playoff outings. Of the four postseason games McCarthy coached with the Cowboys, the team only ended up winning one. Jones cited last year’s home wild-card defeat against the Packers as a main reason why he made the decision to retain McCarthy without offering him an extension. After making it clear no in-season firing would take place (as was the case when his Green Bay tenure ended), questions were raised about how negotiations would proceed.

As Pelissero and CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones note, one of the main sticking points between Jones and McCarthy was the length of a potential new contract. Given the former’s hesitance to make a new commitment last offseason, it would of come as something of a surprise if a long-term offer has been made over the weekend. As the latter prepares to seek out his market, meanwhile, his assistants are also set to become free agents.

The Bears requested permission to interview McCarthy last week, when his Dallas future remained uncertain. The Cowboys blocked it, a move which has now proven to be a moot point. Chicago has conducted a wide-ranging search with interest being shown in NFL and college staffers. Longtime Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll – who is now joined by McCarthy as a 2025 candidate with a lengthy resume and a Super Bowl title – already interviewed with the Bears. It will be interesting to see if McCarthy does the same.

It was also learned last week that the Saints could be a team to watch in the event McCarthy reached the market. Since that is now the case, New Orleans will be free to set up an interview. Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is seen as the top candidate for the job at this point, but plenty could change on that front over the coming days and weeks.

Former DC Dan Quinn could have represented a candidate to take over from McCarthy had a change been made last year. Quinn took the Commanders’ coaching gig, however, leaving Dallas in need of a different defensive coordinator. Mike Zimmer was brought in after previously leading the team’s defense over a seven-year period. The former Vikings head coach has expressed a desire to land another HC gig, and it will be interesting to see if Jones considers promoting him to the role. Meanwhile, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports Bill Belichick would have had interest in Dallas’ opening had it existed before his decision to take charge of North Carolina. He adds that feeling likely would have been mutual, but now the Cowboys will need to move in another direction.

McCarthy sports an all-time winning percentage of .608, making him one of the most accomplished staffers available for the 2025 hiring cycle. He is a somewhat late addition to the list of options for the winter, but with the Patriots representing the only team to make a head coaching hire so far he could have several suitors in the near future.

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