Stephen Jones

Cowboys Rumors: Free Agency, Prescott, McCarthy

December 13th, 2024 at 9:59pm CST by Ely Allen

The Cowboys’ 2024 campaign has not gone quite according to plan as the team sits at 5-8, fighting for their playoff lives. While some of the blame for this can be cast on injuries, the makeup of the roster has to be taken into account, as well. That means it’ll be up to coaching and team management to make the improvements necessary to turn this team into a playoff squad in 2025.

Many members of the Cowboys’ fanbase were up in arms following an offseason that saw little free agent movement. That lack of movement has, no doubt, contributed in some part to some of the team’s struggles this year. Despite this likelihood, chief operating officer/executive vice president/director of player personnel Stephen Jones, son of owner/president/general manager Jerry Jones, has claimed that this year could see another conservative offseason in the free agent market for the Cowboys, per Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The younger Jones told the media that free agent spending will be “really tight.” Starters like guard Zack Martin, wide receiver Brandin Cooks, and defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence are all in contract years, as are several other key pieces. There are plenty of areas, namely running back, that could use significant investment, as well.

With no commitment to free agent pursuit from ownership, Cowboys fans are going to need to look to the draft and internal development for answers to the team’s current weaknesses.

Here are a couple other rumors out of Dallas:

According to Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports, quarterback Dak Prescott made a big stride in his recovery earlier this month, driving his vehicle while still walking with the assistance of a brace and crutches. Per Epstein, “Prescott expects his recovery window to conclude before 2025 offseason activities start.” Even with “no hard timeline” and an effort not to rush back, Prescott is hoping to have zero restrictions when the offseason arrives.
There have been mixed opinions from pundits on the future of head coach Mike McCarthy in Dallas. Many believe he will be fired come season end, while others are under the impression that the senior Jones will retain him. Jones has expressed that he’s open to keeping McCarthy around, but per DLLS’ Clarence Hill Jr., Jones has identified a connection with Prescott as a key part of his decision-making. Luckily for McCarthy, Prescott recently endorsed the current head coach, but Jones has made it clear that he wants someone in the job who can get the most out of their franchise quarterback.

Micah Parsons, Stephen Jones On Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy; Parsons Addresses Contract Talks With Team

December 8th, 2024 at 10:05am CST by Rory Parks

Add Micah Parsons to the list of notable Cowboys employees who would be happy to have head coach Mike McCarthy back in 2025. Just as quarterback Dak Prescott recently endorsed the embattled, lame duck HC, Parsons offered his own support for the only skipper he has played for in the professional ranks.

“I would like a fair shot with everyone back — players, coaches — because the injuries kind of struck of what this season could really be,” Parsons said (via ESPN’s Todd Archer). “The injuries have been terrible. And, you know, it really sucks. Seeing Zack [Martin], D-Law [DeMarcus Lawrence] not having the year I know he planned to have. He had such a great start. It really sucks.”

On McCarthy specifically, Parsons added, “in terms of coaching, man, Coach Mike, me and his relationship has always been really good. He always took real good care of me.”

Parsons acknowledged that the final call on McCarthy’s fate will be made by owner Jerry Jones, but Jones himself suggested at the end of November that he is amenable to a new contract for McCarthy. Likewise, Jones’ son, team EVP Stephen Jones, offered public support for his HC during a recent radio interview on 105.3 The Fan.

“I think our whole team endorses Mike McCarthy,” Stephen Jones said (via Jon Machota of The Athletic). “He’s got skins on the wall. He’s won a Super Bowl. He’s been in multiple championship games. He knows what it takes to win in this league.”

Interestingly, Stephen Jones added that a decision on McCarthy would not be predicated solely on win-loss record. Thanks in large part to Dallas’ injury struggles – including a season-ending hamstring ailment that Prescott suffered in Week 9 – the Cowboys have limped to a 5-7 mark through the first 12 games of 2024. McCarthy did oversee three straight 12-5 finishes from 2021-23, thus bolstering his case for a new deal, but the fact that those regular season performances resulted in just one playoff victory is what dissuaded team brass from authorizing a re-up this offseason.

Despite the highly complimentary nature of the Joneses’ public statements about McCarthy, it would register as something of a surprise if he were given a new contract at season’s end. Injuries or not, Dallas has failed to advance beyond the divisional round in any of his first four seasons at the helm, and the club has just a 4% chance of even qualifying for the playoff field this year. Indeed, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network indicates that McCarthy’s future in Dallas remains up in the air, and it could depend on how the team closes out the campaign (video link).

Unlike McCarthy, Parsons is guaranteed to be back with the Cowboys in 2025, and he could land a massive new deal in the coming months. Selected in the first round of the 2021 draft, the Penn State product was eligible for an extension this past offseason, though since he is still on his rookie contract and controllable through 2025 by virtue of the fifth-year option, Dallas prioritized extensions for Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.

Still, the expectation is that Parsons will get his due in 2025. Prior reports have noted that the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year and two-time First Team All-Pro will top the 49ers’ Nick Bosa ($34MM AAV) as the highest-paid defensive player in the league, and he could elect to wait to see if the Steelers’ T.J. Watt and the Browns’ Myles Garrett – both of whom profile as 2025 extension candidates – land top-of-the-market accords of their own in order to increase his bargaining power.

Publicly, at least, Parsons is downplaying the importance of breaking a contractual record, citing the need for the team to have enough financial flexibility to properly fill out the rest of the roster.

“It really just depends on the circumstances of who are we trying to get, who’s trying to return,” he said. “I look at it from a business side also, you know? If we’re going to be aggressive and bringing in players to play next to me because right now, you look at it, I don’t know who I’m playing [with] …”

“So, to me it’s all about the foundation of the team, like, ‘How can I create the best foundation and play with the guys who have helped me create a lot of success?’ Those guys helped me get to where I am, where I can become the highest-paid player. So, I would like for as many of us to be here as possible so we can continue having success, winning seasons.”

The 25-year-old edge, who has continued to perform at an elite level in 2024 despite a four-game absence stemming from a high ankle sprain, emphasized that, at a certain point, squeezing as much juice as possible out of his own contract may not be worth the squeeze.

“I feel like you see a lot of times ‘highest-paid,’ then we say they don’t have weapons, or they don’t have this. So, I would rather just be in the best situation, you know? At that point, I don’t think there’s a big difference between $30 million and $40 million in my eyes, you know? And that’s just me talking.”

Parsons conceded that his agent may not be too fond of those comments, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk believes the Cowboys’ top defender has indeed hurt his leverage in impending negotiations. That, of course, remains to be seen, though it does create an interesting backdrop for one of Dallas’ top offseason agenda items.

Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb Was Unwilling To Sign Extension In 2023; Details On New Deal

September 1st, 2024 at 9:22am CST by Rory Parks

Cowboys brass has been criticized for waiting too long to pull the trigger on extensions for some of their star players, which has caused them to pay top-of-the-market prices when those extensions finally come to fruition. Owner Jerry Jones and executive vice president Stephen Jones faced the same criticism in the aftermath of the recent mega-deal they authorized for wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.

If the Cowboys had extended Lamb last year, they may not have had to go to the same lengths ($34MM per year, $67MM in practical guarantees) to secure his services for the foreseeable future. Of course, it takes two to tango, and Stephen Jones recently told Albert Breer of SI.com that Lamb simply was not going to sign a new contract in 2023, when he was first eligible for one.

Indeed, it was reported last July that Dallas was hoping to hammer out an extension for Lamb prior to the start of the 2023 season. At the time, Tyreek Hill‘s contract with the Dolphins was the only WR pact that featured an average annual value of at least $30MM, though that deal was famously bloated by a non-guaranteed salary in its final year that pushed the AAV to the $30MM mark. Even if Lamb was able to secure a more “genuine” $30MM/year accord back then, he chose to bet on himself while allowing the rising tide of the receiver market to continue lifting his boat.

Not only did Lamb turn in the finest season of his young career in 2023 — he posted a 135/1,749/12 slash en route to First Team All-Pro honors — he watched as fellow wideouts Amon-Ra St. Brown, A.J. Brown, and Justin Jefferson further expanded the upper reaches of the contractual landscape for wide receivers (a few weeks before Lamb put pen to paper, Hill also agreed to a restructure that landed him the most guaranteed money added to a contract without new years also being added).

Lamb is now second only to Jefferson in terms of AAV and guaranteed money. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk lays out the full details of the Lamb contract, noting that it is a clean, simple deal that does not include any of the “funny money” that artificially inflated the value of Hill’s original contract.

As was previously reported, Lamb will net a $38MM signing bonus, and his $1.15MM base salary for 2024 and $26.85MM base salary for 2025 are both fully-guaranteed at signing, as are his $1MM in per-game roster bonuses for 2025 (though those bonuses must be earned). Lamb’s $25MM base salary for 2026 is presently guaranteed for injury but will become fully-guaranteed in March 2025, and $7MM of his $28MM base salary for 2027 is currently guaranteed for injury; that figure will become fully-guaranteed in March 2026.

Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 details Lamb’s salary cap hits in each year of his contract. He will count just $8.75MM against the cap in 2024, but that number will jump to $35.35MM in 2025.

Cowboys Eyeing Multiple Extensions

June 5th, 2023 at 2:49pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Cowboys have made a few notable outside additions this offseason, including the trade acquisitions of wideout Brandin Cooks and cornerback Stephon Gilmore. A number of internal extension candidates are in place, though, and getting deals done with several of them remains a priority.

EVP Stephen Jones indicated on Monday that the Cowboys have “in general touched base” with players in line for new contracts, such as quarterback Dak Prescott, receiver CeeDee Lamb, cornerback Trevon Diggs and offensive lineman Terence Steele (Twitter link via Jon Machota of The Athletic). Each of those names have been linked to potential extensions during this offseason, with Prescott representing an obvious priority given his current financial situation.

The 29-year-old restructured his contract in March, a move which freed up considerable cap space for what has been an eventful offseason in Dallas. As a result, however, Prescott’s 2024 cap hit is scheduled to be $59.4MM, a figure which will need to be lowered significantly via a new contract. Team owner Jerry Jones made it clear (via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News, on Twitter), however, that a new Prescott accord doesn’t necessarily need to be worked out before extensions for other key players.

Both Lamb and Diggs have been in Dallas for the past three years; while the former is under contract for 2024 via the fifth-year option, the latter is entering a contract year. The pair have each earned two Pro Bowl nods and are foundational pieces of the team’s long-term core. In came as no surprise, then, when it was learned in March that extensions for both were among the Cowboys’ priorities. Given the value of the WR and CB markets, second contracts for Lamb and Diggs will require a sizeable multi-year commitment.

In Steele’s case, a smaller deal may suffice to have him on the books beyond 2023. The former UDFA has emerged as a valued member of their offensive front, and will play on a $4.3MM RFA tender this season. Steele’s likeliest position this year appears to be at left guard, with both Tyler Smith and Tyron Smith in place to occupy the tackle spots. A strong season on the interior would add further to his value, and thus his asking price on the open market. Avoiding that situation with any or all of the aforementioned players over the coming months is front of mind for the Cowboys.

“The timing has got to be right for those guys and it’s gotta be right for us,” Stephen Jones said, via Machota. “Our goal would be to hopefully start to chip away at this… No specific order. It’s just kind of when opportunity arises. They gotta be motivated to want to do it. It seems like more and more guys want to wait… because usually the price goes up from one year to the next. People don’t seem to be as in that type of hurry, but if the opportunity is there we sure would like to get 1-2-3 of these guys signed. We’d love to do more than one.”

Cowboys Didn’t Offer Pay Cut To Ezekiel Elliott; Team Still Open To New Deal

March 30th, 2023 at 10:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Cowboys have made a number of high-profile additions so far in free agency, but the 2023 offseason has also included the team’s release of Ezekiel Elliott. The former rushing champion was long expected to be a cap casualty, but the chances of a re-worked contract keeping him in Dallas have fluctuated recently.

Elliott admitted earlier this year that he was willing to accept a pay cut to continue his Cowboys career. That came as little surprise, given the $16.7MM he was scheduled to count against the cap in 2023, and the lack of guaranteed money remaining on his contract. Dallas already has one notable cap figure at the running back position with Tony Pollard having been franchise tagged.

Days after Elliott was released, it was reported that a Cowboys reunion was unlikely. As the former top-five pick faces the prospect of free agency for the first time, however, no new, more modest contract offer has emerged yet from Dallas. Executive vice president Stephen Jones recently elaborated on the reason why that is the case.

“When you’ve got players and we’ve had them over the years, whether it’s Emmitt Smith, whether it’s a DeMarcus Ware these type of players you’ve got such respect for everything that they’ve done for your organization,” he said, via Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “Sometimes the best thing is to let them get a feel for what the market is. The last thing we want to do is do anything that would be insulting to a great player like Zeke.”

Elliott, 27, is a member of a deep free agent class at the position, one which has not landed much in the way of lucrative deals on the open market. Considering his decline in production, including career-worst numbers in 2022, it comes as little surprise that the Ohio State alum isn’t facing a plethora of suitors. Elliott reportedly has a three-team wish list of destinations (Eagles, Bengals and Jets), but it very much remains to be seen if his interest in those squads will be reciprocated.

While Dallas has yet to submit a new offer to Elliott, they still could down the road. At the league meetings earlier this week, head coach Mike McCarthy confirmed that the door “definitely” remains open to Elliott being brought back at a reduced rate (h/t NFL.com’s Kevin Patra). The Cowboys currently sit at $13.3MM in cap space, so a reunion with Elliott could be feasible if the cost were to be low enough.

Changes in Elliott’s market could of course steer him more definitively towards, or away from, the Cowboys in the near future. For now, though, it remains clear that Dallas is content to let the rest of the league dictate the value on his next contract as he eyes a likely change in role for the next phase of his career.

Latest On Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott, Tyron Smith

February 5th, 2023 at 4:50pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Cowboys have plenty of pieces already in place which helped take the team to the divisional round of the playoffs this season, but key decisions lay ahead with several high-profile players. A number of Dallas’ longest-tenured offensive contributors face uncertain futures in 2023.

One of those is running back Ezekiel Elliott. The 27-year-old has long been thought to be a cut candidate, owing to his shrinking role in Dallas’ backfield behind Tony Pollard and his cumbersome salary and cap hit remaining on his current contract. The former top-five pick recently made clear his intention of at least considering a pay cut if it helped keep him with the Cowboys, something the team would be mutually agreeable to in principle.

Dallas owner Jerry Jones and EVP Stephen Jones indicated that they want Elliott to remain in the fold for 2023, but added that both parties will “have to talk business” to make such a scenario financially feasible (Twitter link via Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). Elliott has scheduled cap hits of at least $14.3MM for each of the four years remaining on his deal, though no guaranteed money remains on his pact.

The Cowboys’ decision with respect to Elliott will have to come against the backdrop of their desire to keep Pollard. The latter is a pending free agent, but could at least be retained for the 2023 season via the franchise tag ($10.1MM). Pollard is currently recovering from a broken leg, but the former fourth-rounder has firmly established himself as the more efficient member of Dallas’ halfback tandem. How much the team is willing to spend at the position will become a key factor in their offseason plans.

“We’re probably one of the top teams in the league already with what we pay running backs,” the younger Jones said, via the Dallas Morning News’ David Moore. “We have to make sure how we pay attention to this and how we spread it out, how we divide up the pie… Obviously, Tony is looking to make more money. So, we have to relook the whole things in terms of running back and what that looks like.”

Meanwhile, tackle Tyron Smith presents another interesting case for Dallas. The 32-year-old has played at an elite level when healthy, but he has missed 33 contests over the past three campaigns. His time in 2022 was limited by a torn hamstring, and he manned the right tackle spot upon his return. That decision came in part due to the absence of starting RT Terence Steele, but also the high-end play of first-round rookie Tyler Smith, drafted to one day succeed his namesake as the Cowboys’ blindside protector.

Tyron Smith has only one non-void year remaining on his contract, but with no guaranteed compensation due his $13.6MM salary could be in jeopardy. Smith also underwent another procedure this offseason (a scope, specifically), Hill tweets. When asked if the eight-time Pro Bowler would be back next season, Stephen Jones said “I have no reason to believe he won’t,” but injury concerns and other financial decisions could change that stance in the near future.

The Cowboys are currently one of 14 teams over the 2023 cap ceiling of $224.8MM. Many moves are soon to come as a result, so the futures of Elliott and Smith with their only NFL employer to date will be worth watching.

Cowboys Executive Speaks On Free Agent WR Odell Beckham Jr.

November 11th, 2022 at 10:20pm CST by Ely Allen

As free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. continues to work his way back from the ACL injury that ended his first appearance in the Super Bowl after only a quarter and a half, rumors have run rampant on where his next destination will be. Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones spoke recently on the NFL’s Sirius XM channel about the desire he has to bring Beckham to Dallas, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic.

Jones, much like his father, Cowboys owner, president, and general manager Jerry Jones, double dips in his duties serving not only as vice president but as CEO and director of player personnel for the team, as well. Therefore, the younger Jones’ comments on Beckham hold some weight, as he does have input on the team’s personnel decisions. “It’s hard not to imagine how a healthy OBJ could really help us out,” Jones told the show. “He did that for the Rams last year.”

Jones is referring to the impact Beckham made for Los Angeles after signing with the Rams at this point in the season (on this exact day, to be specific) last year. After six fairly unproductive games with the Browns to start the 2021 season, Beckham was excused from two practices before the two parties agreed to separate, leading Cleveland to eventually waive the three-time Pro Bowler.

Beckham took some time deciding where he would sign before eventually joining the Rams. After failing to amass a single touchdown and only gaining 232 yards through six weeks with the Browns, Beckham found a role with the Rams, who had just lost Robert Woods for the season to an ACL tear of his own. In the final eight games of the season, Beckham caught 27 balls for 305 yards and five touchdowns.

Beckham’s effectiveness continued in the Rams’ run to the Super Bowl, catching 19 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown in the three games leading up to the season finale. Beckham even left his mark in the Super Bowl, opening the game’s scoring with a 17-yard touchdown catch before being forced to exit the game with two receptions for 52 yards and the lone touchdown.

The 2021 Rams were already seeing success before Beckham arrived with a 7-2 start to the season. After he arrived, they finished the season 5-3 in the last eight games, including a five-game win streak, before going undefeated in the postseason. The 2022 Cowboys are similarly seeing success at 6-2 so far this year despite only seeing three games from starting quarterback Dak Prescott. The rest of their schedule holds some challenges that adding Beckham could assist with. After their bye week, the Cowboys head to Green Bay to face a down Packers team, but the Packers always seem to find a way to break Dallas hearts. After that they’ll face a strong Vikings squad before finishing out their division race which includes games against the surprising Giants and undefeated Eagles.

The Cowboys defense and rushing offense have really helped the team succeed so far this year. One of the biggest perceived holes on the team has been the presence of receiving options behind top pass-catcher CeeDee Lamb. Lamb leads the team with 42 catches for 556 yards and three touchdowns. With the departure of Amari Cooper, free agent addition James Washington on injured reserve, and Michael Gallup still getting back to 100% after his own ACL tear from late last season, the Cowboys have turned to former seventh-round pick Noah Brown as their second option at wide receiver. Brown has certainly contributed with 25 receptions for 339 yards and a touchdown, but his 39 targets are fewer that Lamb’s receptions-total and nearly half of Lamb’s target-share.

Dallas can depend on Lamb to lead the pass-catching group. The tight ends contribute with Dalton Schultz as a provider of production in the offense and Jake Ferguson proving effective in the red zone with two touchdown receptions this season. Running back Tony Pollard provides an effective pass-catching option out of the backfield with 12 catches and 121 receiving yards of his own. Adding Beckham to this group as the second receiver opposite Lamb could pay huge dividends for this offense that recently got Prescott back behind center.

Realistically, the odds of landing Beckham were something that Jones put into perspective. “(Beckham) can go wherever he wants, but we want to make our compelling case,” Jones said. He didn’t dismiss the idea of offering Beckham a multi-year deal, a larger commitment than the one-year contract the Rams gave Beckham last year. “At the end of the day, it’s about business, as well, so we’ll just roll up our sleeves and see if there’s an opportunity to put a star on Odell’s helmet.”

Latest On Cowboys’ Trade Deadline WR Pursuit

November 5th, 2022 at 9:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Cowboys ended up keeping their wide receiver corps intact as this week’s trade deadline came and went, despite their reported interest in making an addition at the position. That had them connected with one player in particular, but the team cast a wide net in seeking trade partners.

Dallas was listed amongst several teams calling the Texans about the availability of veteran speedster Brandin Cooks. That led to negotiations taking place deep into Tuesday afternoon, but no deal materialized. The $18MM in guaranteed money on Cooks’ deal next season proved too much to overcome (as was the case with other interested parties), along with Houston’s asking price.

Speaking about the Cowboys’ talks regarding other available wideouts, EVP Stephen Jones said, “You’re never there until you’re there. It was an intense day and [it] really felt like we had some things that might work out but unfortunately they didn’t and on several fronts we just weren’t able to get it done” (Twitter link via Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram).

In the build-up to the deadline, it came out that the Cowboys were open to a move aimed at augmenting their receiving corps. The team has struggled to replace Amari Cooper since moving him out this offseason. CeeDee Lamb has made the expected transition to the Cowboys’ undisputed No. 1 wideout, but secondary production has been lacking. Dallas ranks 28th in the league in passing yards (201 per game), a figure skewed in part by the absence of quarterback Dak Prescott, of course, but one which also explains their interest in making an addition.

It remains unclear which receivers in particular the Cowboys were targeting at the deadline, one which saw the Bears acquire Chase Claypool from the Steelers, and Atlanta send Calvin Ridley to the Jaguars. The latter transaction was aimed exclusively at 2023 and beyond, but Dallas’ current receiving corps will be counted on in the second half of this campaign to carry the load offensively.

Cowboys VP Stephen Jones: “We’re Not Done Yet In Free Agency”

April 23rd, 2022 at 10:43am CST by Ben Levine

The Cowboys haven’t really been a major player in free agency this year, but executive vice president Stephen Jones hinted that moves could be coming. During an appearance on 105.3 The Fan, Jones said the front office isn’t done adding free agents.

“We feel like we did do a good job with it in terms of re-signing, for the most part, the players that we wanted and felt like we could keep under the current salary-cap environment,” Jones said (via Jon Machota of The Athletic). “I do think we were able to fill (our needs), for the most part. We’re not done yet in free agency. We’ll see what opportunities come up out there. But we feel like we can go into the draft pure again and pick the best players on our board.”

As Jones notes, the Cowboys have spent much of their offseason retaining their own guys. The team reached new deals with defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, wide receiver Michael Gallup, safety Jayron Kearse, and defensive end Dorance Armstrong, and they also slapped tight end Dalton Schultz with the franchise tag. Of course, all of this future money has led to some roster casualties, most notably wideout Amari Cooper and offensive tackle La’el Collins.

When it comes to free agency, the team’s most notable addition was the signing of defensive end Dante Fowler. At this point of the offseason, the Cowboys will be hard pressed to find any game-changers still remaining in free agency, but the current crop of unsigned veterans could help fill in any roster holes following the draft. As Machota notes, the Cowboys could use reinforcement at guard, center, wide receiver, edge rusher, tight end, and cornerback, and there’s a good chance they won’t cross all those positions off the list during next week’s draft.

Cowboys Expected To Keep HC Mike McCarthy

January 17th, 2022 at 3:30pm CST by Adam La Rose

In the aftermath of yet another early playoff exit, some are wondering if the Cowboys should move on from second-year head coach Mike McCarthy. While changes are expected at one – if not both – coordinator positions in Dallas’ coaching staff, it appears that he is not in danger right now.

While speaking on 105.3 The Fan, executive vice president Stephen Jones was asked about his confidence that McCarthy would be back. As reported by the Athletic’s Jon Machota (via Twitter), Jones’ response was: “absolutely. Very confident”. In the immediate aftermath of the team’s 23-17 loss to San Francisco, owner and GM Jerry Jones said “I don’t even want to discuss anything like that at this particular time”, but his son’s comments today certainly point to McCarthy staying on for at least a third season at the helm.

The senior Jones’ overall level of dismay was clear in his other postgame remarks. As ESPN’s Todd Archer reports, Jones said, “I’m really disappointed for our fans. They really deserved to see this team advance on into the playoffs”, as was expected to an even greater degree of this season’s squad. The loss marks the Cowboys’ seventh one-and-done appearance in the postseason within a stretch of eleven straight times falling short of the NFC title game.

Public expressions of confidence in McCarthy are hardly new. Stephen Jones stated in December his faith in the 58-year-old to lead the team on a Super Bowl run. After an injury-riddled 6-10 campaign in 2020, McCarthy’s second year in charge went much better: a 12-5 record, an NFC East title, and optimism surrounding a loaded offense and surprisingly resurgent defense. Sunday saw an alarming lack of discipline and execution, however, leaving the Cowboys with an early offseason once again.

The aforementioned Machota writes that McCarthy should share a large deal of blame for the loss. He notes that the Cowboys were the most penalized team in the NFL during the regular season, something that was a factor on Sunday as they were flagged 14 times. Wondering aloud if the Cowboys are simply an undisciplined team, Machota writes “they certainly looked like one Sunday. They look unprepared, too. And those things ultimately fall on McCarthy”.

It is widely expected that some form of change will be coming on the Cowboys’ staff. The list of candidates for the eight head coaching vacancies league-wide includes both OC Kellen Moore and DC Dan Quinn, the latter being touted as the favorite for the Broncos’ job. As for McCarthy himself, he provided a similar response to those of his bosses with regards to his job security: “I don’t have any concerns. I’m proud to be standing here today. I’m proud of my football team”. Considering the ten-year run Jason Garrett had in the role previously, it would not come as a surprise if the Super Bowl XLV champion McCarthy was given a fair amount of leeway in his early years with the Cowboys.

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