FRISCO, TX — Despite the Dallas Cowboys‘ early playoff exit, Mike McCarthy will remain the Cowboys’ head coach for the 2024 season.
The Latest Update on Mike McCarthy’s Job Security
According to ESPN, despite speculation, the Cowboys will not be making a coaching change. The McCarthy era will see its fifth season.
Reports on Wednesday said that McCarthy had finished routine exit interviews with the team, and a decision about his tenure would be made by the end of the week. It’s worth noting, though, that McCarthy has one year left in his current contract with the team.
In a statement following the decision, Jerry Jones said, “I believe this team is very close and capable of achieving our ultimate goals, and the best step forward for us will be with Mike McCarthy as our head coach. There is great benefit to continuing the team’s progress under Mike’s leadership as our head coach.”
The Cowboys announced that a press conference with McCarthy is set for tomorrow at The Star.
Jones added in his statement on Wednesday evening that the Cowboys have secured levels of success with McCarthy and that this was an affirmation to help him and the team achieve their playoff goals.
“Specifically, there are many layers of success that have occurred this season as a result of Mike’s approach to leading the team, both with individual players and with our team collectively.
“Mike has the highest regular season winning percentage of any head coach in Cowboys history, and we will dedicate ourselves, in partnership with him, to translating that into reaching our postseason goals,” he continued.
“Certainly, Mike’s career has demonstrated postseason success at a high level, and we have great confidence that can continue. Further, our loss on Sunday is shared by everyone here — not just Coach McCarthy — our players, our coaches, our front office. Myself. There is accountability for our results. I am accountable for our results. The lens we use to view and evaluate Coach McCarthy is holistic.”
A third-straight, 12-5 season followed by early playoff exits had put McCarthy’s future under the microscope but Jones’ decision now solidifies Dallas’ direction in 2024.
“While we’re all disappointed with the result on Sunday and with our playoff record, I am 100% supportive of him as our head coach and ability to reach our goals. We will start our process of review and decision-making, regarding everything that impacts our team and roster.
“And while we’re not going to address specific players and extensions or free agents at this point, it deserves our deepest review and consideration, and it will get it,” Jones finished.
McCarthy did not do a final press conference with the media following Sunday’s loss and tomorrow’s presser will be his first remarks since the loss to the Green Bay Packers. When asked about his job security in the postgame press conference, he said, “I think the biggest thing is, you know, we’re disappointed. I got a whole team in the locker room that’s hurting. I haven’t thought past the outcome of this game.”
When asked about McCarthy’s job security this past Sunday, Jerry Jones said he wouldn’t comment on any future decisions involving the coaches or players. When asked if he felt pressure to act sooner rather than later on finding a new coach if needed, he said the only thing he felt was disappointment.
QB Dak Prescott also spoke about the head coach’s job being in question after the game, saying he should be at risk of losing his job as well.
He also took accountability for the loss.
“He’s been amazing. I don’t know how they can be, but I understand the business. In that case, it should be about me, as well,” Prescott said. “I’ve had the season that I’ve had because of him. This team has had the success that they’ve had because of him. I understand it’s about winning the Super Bowl. That’s the standard of this league — and damn sure the standard of this place. I get it, but add me to the list in that case.”
Now that the Cowboys’ front office has decided to keep McCarthy as the team’s head coach, it is still to be determined if there will be any coaching role changes ahead.
McCarthy’s Record With the Cowboys
McCarthy took a year off from coaching after being fired by the Packers during the 2018 season. After the Cowboys and HC Jason Garrett parted ways following the 2019 campaign, Dallas hired McCarthy as its new head coach on Jan. 7, 2020.
The former Packers coach spent his season away from the sidelines meeting with other coaches and learning about analytics. During the interview process, he told Jones he watched every play from the Cowboys’ 2019 season before infamously admitting his deceit after the fact.
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“I need to confess,” McCarthy said at his introductory press conference. “I told Jerry I watched every play of the 2019 season. I wanted the job. You do what you gotta do, right?”
McCarthy’s first season on the job didn’t go as planned. Dallas was 1-3 when it lost Prescott to a season-ending ankle injury in Week 5. The Cowboys used QBs Andy Dalton, Ben DiNucci, and Garrett Gilbert to close the campaign, finishing with a 6-10 record.
McCarthy fired DC Mike Nolan after one season, crucially hiring former Atlanta Falcons HC Dan Quinn in his place.
Quinn subsequently presided over one of the NFL’s most dominant defenses for the next three years.
The Cowboys franchise-tagged and then extended Prescott before the 2021 season, the same year that featured Dallas as HBO’s “Hard Knocks” preseason participant. McCarthy posted a 12-5 record and won the NFC East, but the Cowboys’ season ended in the Wild Card Round when McCarthy called a QB scramble with 14 seconds and no timeouts remaining in the game.
Prescott injured his thumb in the 2022 season opener and missed five weeks after undergoing surgery. McCarthy managed a 4-1 mark with backup Cooper Rush under center, keeping Dallas in the playoff hunt until Dak returned.
After another 12-win season, the Cowboys took down future Hall-of-Fame QB Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a 31-14 road victory in the Wild Card Round. San Francisco was waiting, however, and ended McCarthy and Co.’s season for the second straight year with a 19-12 Divisional Round win.
All told, McCarthy is 42-25 with the Cowboys, winning two NFC East titles and earning three postseason appearances. He is 167-102-2 in his career.
McCarthy’s Coaching Timeline
McCarthy played tight end at NAIA Baker University before spending time as a collegiate coach at Fort Hayes State and Pittsburgh. He made the leap to the NFL in 1993 as a quality control coach for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Kansas City promoted him to QB coach in 1995, and McCarthy took the same role with the Packers in 1999. After five years as an offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers, McCarthy was hired to replace Mike Sherman as Green Bay’s head coach on Jan. 8, 2006.
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Working first with Brett Favre and then Aaron Rodgers, McCarthy went 125-77-2 with the Packers, winning six division titles and Super Bowl 45 over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He signed a one-year extension before the 2018 season but was fired on Dec. 2, 2018, after 13 seasons as head coach.
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