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Where next for Mike McCarthy after Cowboys pull trigger?

Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy’s contract comes to an end on Tuesday, but we didn’t have to wait to find out the plan.

Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy's contract comes to an end in less than 24 hours, and as things stand now, no deal has been reached to keep him on board.
JARED C. TILTONAFP

The Dallas Cowboys finished the 2024 regular season with an unimpressive losing record of 7-10, third in the NFC East, and without a playoff berth. Head coach Mike McCarthy entered the year having taken them to three consecutive 12-5 seasons, but with no postseason success. This year, his last year under contract with the Cowboys, was supposedly a make-or-break year, with much speculation that McCarthy would be out if the Cowboys were not successful.

By the end of the regular season, however, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones cast doubts on that assumption, as it started to look like he’d be keeping McCarthy on, despite the results from the regular season. But then the final decision was made, as reported by Tom Pelissero.

McCarthy’s future lies away from Dallas

McCarthy’s current contract with the Cowboys is up tomorrow (Tuesday), so we knew we’d know for sure then whether he stayed in Dallas or went. But on Monday news broke that Jones had pulled the trigger. So where could the experienced coach go now, if staying in the game in the short term?

When the Chicago Bears tried to get an interview with him before his last official day, the Cowboys declined to allow it.

Last week, McCarthy met with Jerry Jones and executive vice president Stephen Jones on three separate occasions to discuss the 2024 season as well as his future with the team. Those talks happened, but he wasn’t let go. Neither did a new contract come to fruition, which makes sense now.

Another team that has shown an interest is the New Orleans Saints. Let’s see who else tries to tempt him in.

McCarthy not helped by Cowboys

While McCarthy was 100% set up for failure this season, it was still sure to upset some fans if he returned after a losing season and a postseason absence, especially if he was to get any kind of pay raise. McCarthy was reported to earn around $8 million per season on his five-year deal. After the Cowboys' Week 18 loss to the Washington Commanders, Jones has said that he’d consider an “incentive plan” for his head coach.

“For instance, I might say, ‘Look, I’m going to pay you this much, but then [I won’t pay you] any more. And I know you want twice that, but if you get to the playoffs or you win a Super Bowl, I’ll give you five times that,’” Jones said.

Where next for McCarthy, and who will replace him for the 2025 season are now the burning questions for America’s Team.

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