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 next week. However, it does appear that Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones is trying to solidify this conundrum with McCarthy in short order.
After spending the last several days discussing the 2024 campaign and the team's future, NFL Media reports that Jones and McCarthy are expected to open up contact talks that would keep McCarthy in Dallas. Both sides remain open to moving forward together.
Again, McCarthy's current contract is set to expire on Tuesday, 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 Chicago Bears have expressed interest in McCarthy. However, that interview request was reportedly denied by the Cowboys this week.
On top of McCarthy, effectively all of the Cowboys assistant coaches would also be free to find other jobs starting next 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.
So, with some tweaks to the roster and key members of the team returning to full strength, it appears Jones views McCarthy as still the right man for the job to get the Cowboys into deep playoff contention. Now, it's a matter of officially agreeing to a contract that keeps the head coach in Arlington for the long term.