In 2024, the Dallas Cowboys finished 7-10 and missed the playoffs. The team was coming off three straight seasons going 12-5. It was Mike McCarthy’s fifth season as head coach. Despite the Cowboys missing the playoffs, owner Jerry Jones was confident in McCarthy moving forward.
At least that’s what sources around the league believed when the 2024 season ended. However, it was reported on Monday morning that the Cowboys are not bringing Mike McCarthy back in 2025. Jerry Jones and McCarthy’s agents tried to get a deal done but the two parties could not agree. The 61-year-old head coach is already being monitored by the Saints and Bears.
Mike McCarthy is not being retained by the Dallas Cowboys
Breaking: Mike McCarthy is not expected to return to Dallas and is now set to become a free agent, a source tells @AdamSchefter.
He’s expected to be a candidate in Chicago and New Orleans. pic.twitter.com/fUUve2ex0i
— ESPN (@espn) January 13, 2025
Since 1993, Mike McCarthy has held a position at some level in the NFL. He began his career with the Chiefs and was in charge of offensive quality control. McCarthy got his first big break in 2000 when he was hired as offensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints. He held that posistion for five seasons. In 2006, McCarthy was hired as head coach of the Green Bay Packers. For 13 years, McCarthy was the head coach in Green Bay. He was 125-77-2 in 204 games with the Packers.
The long-time NFL coach was fired by Green Bay following the 2018 season and did not get hired in 2019. Ahead of the 2020 season, McCarthy got the head coaching job in Dallas. McCarthy made the playoffs in three of his five seasons with the Cowboys. That included three winning seasons and three straight postseason berths from 2021-2023. In five years with Dallas, McCarthy was 49-35 in the regular season. Despite having a winning record well over .500, the Cowboys and McCarthy could not reach a long-term deal. Now, Jerry Jones will look to hire his 9th head coach since buying the Cowboys.
