NFL rumors: Cowboys blindsided by Mike McCarthy departure

01/17/2025 01:39 PM

The Dallas Cowboys have a head coach vacancy after a brutal seven-win season but it did not come conventionally. Mike McCarthy’s contract expired and his job was in the balance for over a week. By the end of Wild Card Weekend, Jerry Jones and the head coach parted ways. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini says that McCarthy caught the Cowboys by surprise with his decision not to sign a deal.

"There's definitely a camp that I'm talking to that's like… this is not real. This is not real. They talked. This is all flirting. This is all… Jerry was not expecting Mike McCarthy and the Cowboys to go separate ways."

Russini continued, "The plan was to bring him back. They did not have a plan in place here. So a lot of this was scrambling, from what I can gather, of just… I need to figure out how to fix this. Quickly. And so now we're seeing the coaches get called in."

The Cowboys and McCarthy had an exclusive negotiating window that lasted the first week of the offseason. This report indicates that Jerry Jones wanted him back but the two sides could not agree to a deal. Now, a Cowboys legend has been connected to the deal and Mike McCarthy has interviews already.

What is next for the Cowboys and Mike McCarthy?

The biggest name attached to the Cowboys head coach vacancy is Deion Sanders. After two years at Colorado, he could be making the jump to the NFL. Reports indicate that Jones is interested in Sanders and vice versa. But Jones has a history of hiring coaches with NFL experience.

The Cowboys have also interviewed Kellen Moore, who was the Cowboys offensive coordinator and backup quarterback. That would follow the Jason Garrett model, who filled both roles in Dallas. They have also expressed interest in Robert Saleh, the former Jets head coach. No interviews have been completed.

For McCarthy, he has already landed two head coach interviews since leaving the Cowboys. He already interviewed the Bears and is on the schedule with the Saints. Both would be a return of sorts, as he spent 13 years in the NFC North with the Packers and had four years as the offensive coordinator with the Saints.

The Cowboys and McCarthy had three solid years together, winning 12 games in each year. But there was only one playoff win, forcing the end of their relationship.

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