Inside The Star
If you’ve unplugged from the media coverage of this Cowboys season, you may be under the assumption that a head coaching search this offseason is a near certainty. However, if you have been reading the tea leaves closely, it seems Mike McCarthy may be extended after all.
In recent weeks, the embattled Dallas head coach has had the tides turn, with less talk about his firing and more about a new contract.
It isn’t as if the Cowboys are suddenly surging; they did win two games in a row but just lost to the Bengals. That dropped their record to 5-8, delivering a major blow to any last-ditch playoff hopes.
Regardless, there seems to be a decent chance that McCarthy’s season will earn him a contract extension.
Why? That’s what we’re here to discuss. Let’s take a look at the three reasons why Mike McCarthy will be extended as the Dallas Cowboys leader for the 2025 season.
Earlier this season, the Chicago Bears fired former Cowboys coach and their Head Coach, Matt Eberflus. They did it for many overdue reasons, but the biggest was clear: he had completely lost the locker room.
Bears players were openly going at it with him in the locker room and dropping negative quotes to the media. When that starts to happen, it’s game over.
Down in Dallas, that could not be further from the case. McCarthy seems to have kept his players’ admiration, respect, and trust despite the lack of success this year and in previous postseasons.
Specifically, Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons have expressed their hope that McCarthy will be retained, and they may be the two most influential voices on the roster.
Parsons told ESPN he wants a fair shot with “everyone back.” From players to the coaching staff, Micah feels they have the group to do it, and this has just been bad luck.
In an interview with Yahoo! Sports, Prescott said something similar: “I think he definitely deserves a chance, another contract and a chance to coach this team.”
While the players don’t ultimately call the shots, their “extend McCarthy” message to the front office is clear; this public show of support will help his chances, no doubt about it.
If you’re going to fire your incumbent head coach, you had better be sure you have a group of candidates you want to be the next man up. When you review the list of potential options for Dallas in 2025, nobody stands out that much.
Bill Belichick, the former Patriots-dynasty leader, would have been a good candidate for the Cowboys job, but he is off to Chapel Hill to coach the Tar Heels.
Other top candidates don’t exactly match Jerry Jones’s previous criteria: Ben Johnson, Joe Brady, and Liam Coen only have coordinator experience, while Brian Flores and Aaron Glenn are defensive guys.
Hiring one of those guys goes against Dallas’ standard operating procedure, and...
