ARLINGTON, Texas — After plenty of uncertainty, a decision has been made in Dallas. The Cowboys are letting go of head coach Mike McCarthy after five seasons (2020-2024) according to CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones. The sides couldn’t agree on length of contract according to and McCarthy will pursue other opportunities, per NFL Media.
McCarthy’s 49-34 record since becoming Dallas’ head coach in 2020 is tied for the eighth-best in the NFL along with the Minnesota Vikings, and the team’s three consecutive 12-win seasons from 2021-2023 were Dallas’ first since a four-season stretch from 1992-1995. That’s when the team won three Super Bowls in a four-season span. Under McCarthy, the Cowboys became the first team since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger to win at least 12 games three years in a row and not make a conference championship game. That’s why McCarthy’s future was in doubt in the first place. In both years the Cowboys missed the postseason under McCarthy, starting quarterback Dak Prescott suffered season-ending injuries: a fractured ankle (2020) and a torn hamstring (2024).
Following Dallas’s 23-19 home defeat against the Washington Commanders that ran the team’s record to 7-10 after battling numerous injuries, McCarthy stated his desire to remain with the Cowboys with his original coaching contract with the team set to expire on Jan. 14. Prescott also told CBS Sports in a one-on-one interview that he would go to bat to owner and general manager Jerry Jones on McCarthy’s behalf.
“Absolutely. I have a lot invested here, and the Cowboys have a lot invested in me,” McCarthy said postgame after Week 18 when asked if remaining with the Cowboys is his top preference. “And then there’s a personal side to all these decisions. They all point the right direction. … Those are all positive attributes that you take into account. Absolutely, I’m a builder. I believe in building programs. I believe in developing young players. So, at the end of day, it is about winning and you have to have those components in place to get this thing where it needs to be. I think we have a very good foundation here.”
|
Regular Season W-L |
6-10 (T-21st) |
36-15 (2nd) |
7-10 (21st) |
|
Postseason W-L |
N/A |
1-3 (14th) |
N/A |
|
PPG |
24.7 (17th) |
29.5 (1st) |
20.3 (21st) |
|
Total YPG |
371.8 (14th) |
377.8 (4th) |
327.5 (17th) |
|
Red Zone TD Pct |
50% (T-29th) |
63% (2nd) |
46% (31st) |
| Turnovers | 26 (27th) | 59 (6th) | 28 (28th) |
|
PPG Allowed |
29.6 (28th) |
19.9 (5th) |
27.5 (31st) |
|
Takeaways |
22 (9th) |
93 (1st) |
23 (12th) |
|
Point Differential |
-78 (25th) |
+491 (2nd) |
-118 (26th) |
| Turnover Margin | -3 (21st) | 34 (1st) | -6 (T-23rd) |
Jones clearly disagreed with McCarthy’s assessment that the two built a “very good foundation” together in Dallas, which is why McCarthy is now on the open market.
