The Dallas Cowboys are currently in head-coaching purgatory. Yes, they technically have one in place in Mike McCarthy, but his contract runs out on Tuesday, making him eligible to negotiate with other teams by early this week. And it sounds like he could hit the open market. With this deadline on the horizon, there have yet to be any contract talks between McCarthy and the Cowboys, according to ESPN.
This points to McCarthy effectively becoming a coaching free agent and the report notes that the New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears would be interested in speaking to McCarthy about their vacancies if that comes to fruition.
This latest report on Monday morning comes just days after NFL Media relayed that the expectation was the two sides would begin speaking about a possible contract that would keep McCarthy in Dallas. As of now, it appears those conversations have yet to be had.
Again, McCarthy's current contract is set to expire in a number of hours, giving Jones and the Cowboys an exclusive window to get pen to paper on a new deal. If they are unable to get something done before that deadline, McCarthy would be fully within his rights and capabilities to speak to other teams about their head-coaching vacancies.
Already, the Bears have expressed interest in McCarthy and requested to interview him. However, that request was reportedly denied by the Cowboys last week. Once his contract expires, Dallas' ability to block those conversations will dissolve.
On top of McCarthy, effectively all of the Cowboys assistant coaches would also be free to find other jobs starting Tuesday, so there is an emphasis on getting something done with McCarthy before that juncture so he can solidify his staff.
McCarthy, 61, just finished up his fifth season as the head coach of the Cowboys. Throughout his tenure, Dallas has enjoyed regular-season success with three 12-5 seasons and two NFC East titles. However, it's the playoffs where McCarthy's Cowboys have struggled, owning a 1-3 postseason record since joining Dallas. That includes two one-and-done appearances in the wild-card round.
This past season, the Cowboys finished with a 7-10 record, which is the worst output since his first season with the organization in 2020 when they went 6-10. While that may look like grounds for a firing/parting of ways, the caveat there is that McCarthy lost his starting quarterback, Dak Prescott, for the bulk of the season due to a hamstring injury.
Overall, McCarthy is 49-35 as Dallas' head coach in the 84 regular-season games.