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The former Packers head coach took himself out of consideration for the Saints’ opening
It appears that Mike McCarthy will not be the head coach of a football team until at least 2026. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the former Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys head coach is planning on sitting out the next NFL season, despite earning an in-person interview with the New Orleans Saints for the final remaining head coaching position in the NFL right now. Previously, McCarthy spent five seasons with the Saints, his first stint as an NFL offensive coordinator, from 2000 to 2004.
His first head coaching job was with the Green Bay Packers, which he took in 2006. In 13 years with the team, McCarthy posted a 125-77-2 record with a 10-8 mark in the postseason. After spending a year out of the league, he resurfaced as the Dallas Cowboys’ head coach in 2020 and posted a 49-35 record. With starting quarterback Dak Prescott in the lineup, McCarthy was 36-22 in his time in the D.
Early on in the offseason, the Chicago Bears requested that McCarthy interview with the team for their head coaching vacancy. The Cowboys denied McCarthy that access, despite him being on an expiring contract. Once McCarthy’s deal finally concluded, he interviewed for a job that ultimately went to former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Beyond the Bears and Saints, no other head coaching interviews for McCarthy had been reported this offseason.
Expect McCarthy, who is tied for 11th in playoff wins in NFL history, to be a hot name in 2025. As we’ve seen recently, coaches who just missed the head coaching cut a year prior receive a significant boost from media myth-building over the following coaching carousel.
