After a 30-24 loss against the San Francisco 49ers on “Sunday Night Football,” the Dallas Cowboys are now 3-4. After winning 12 games in each of the last three seasons, it seems that Dallas has taken a significant step backward right after giving lucrative contracts to stars Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb.
Entering the 2024 NFL season, the knock on Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy was that his team wins a lot of regular-season games but then ultimately chokes in the postseason. This year, the former might not even be true. McCarthy is certainly on the hot seat, and now a former Cowboys legend is calling for owner Jerry Jones to fire everybody.
Dez Bryant Wants Cowboys to Make Big Changes
Dez Bryant, who was a star wide receiver for the Cowboys from 2010-2017, didn’t mince words after Dallas lost to San Francisco in prime time.
“Fire everybody Jerry… quit f—ing around,” the three-time Pro Bowler tweeted, and later deleted, after the loss.
Fire everybody Jerry… quit fucking around
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) October 28, 2024
Bryant explained why he deleted his post in a follow up message on X, clarifying what he meant by “fire everybody”.
“The only reason why I deleted my tweet because I didn’t want the players to think I was talking about them whenever “I said fire everybody”. I believe the coaches should be gone….”
The only reason why I deleted my tweet because I didn’t want the players to think I was talking about them whenever “I said fire everybody”
I believe the coaches should be gone…. https://t.co/dqSxaJyyXg
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) October 28, 2024
Alas, “fire everybody” simply meant “fire the coaching staff” as the former WR continued to advocate for the players on the roster.
It remains to be seen if the Cowboys will actually make any changes. It’s worth noting that Jones has been critical of McCarthy and his staff lately.
During a recent appearance on 105.3 The Fan, Jones criticized McCarthy, making his head coach’s seat even warmer.
“We’re designing bad plays, or we’re designing bad concepts,” Jones said. “The facts are that there’s some of that, but there’s also some of execution.”
Shortly after, McCarthy was asked for a response. While he didn’t agree with Jones’ assessment, he did take some accountability for the team’s recent struggles.
“I talk to Jerry all the time,” McCarthy said. “We’ve had time to go through the self-scout. I didn’t see the comments specifically, but I don’t think we have bad concepts and bad plays. But I’ll go back and check.
“We’re not where we want to be. That’s clear, and that’s ultimately my responsibility, and I’m fully aware of that. We’re very diligent. We’re on top of what we want to do.”
Real shit!
Cowboys on some bullshit https://t.co/t6PhK29A5r
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) October 28, 2024
After the Cowboys’ 47-9 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 6, Jones was asked whether he would consider a midseason coaching change — something he’s only done once, when he fired Wade Phillips back in 2010.
“I haven’t even considered that, and I’m not considering that. Just so we’re clear, I’m not considering that,” Jones said before adding that he wouldn’t get into hypotheticals or discuss what it would take for him to consider a change.
Here’s my exchange with Jerry Jones asking what it would take for him to consider a coaching change.
The last & only time he fired a coach mid-season? Wade Phillips, after he lost by 38 points to Mike McCarthy’s Packers.
McCarthy’s Cowboys lost by 38 today @FOX4 #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/RwSuW9Rs2Y
— Jeff Kolb (@JeffKolbFOX4) October 14, 2024
The Cowboys had two weeks to prepare for this game against San Francisco since they had a Week 7 bye. And the 49ers were shorthanded, missing Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, and Jordan Mason (who got hurt early in the game). This is San Francisco’s fourth consecutive win over Dallas over the last three years.
From here, the Cowboys’ schedule doesn’t get any easier, as their next four games are at Atlanta Falcons, vs. Philadelphia Eagles, vs. Houston Texans, and at Washington Commanders. These teams are a combined 22-9 so far this season.
There have been rumblings that the Cowboys might consider hiring legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick over the offseason if they move on from McCarthy, but it’s unclear if there’s any truth to those rumors.
One thing is certain, though: McCarthy’s seat is hot, and former Cowboys legends calling for him to be fired certainly doesn’t help his case.