NFL Rumors: Mike McCarthy Would’ve ‘Secured’ HC Job If Cowboys Won Games in January

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Mike McCarthy’s playoff failures may ultimately prove to be his undoing in Dallas.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported McCarthy’s job status is “up in the air” after Sunday’s embarrassing 48-32 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

“Many people around the league I’ve spoken to last night and this morning are on high alert with this job, believing that Mike McCarthy’s status might be up in the air due to the lack of playoff success,” Fowler said Monday on SportsCenter. “If he could’ve gotten some wins this January that would’ve certainly secured his fate. Now, it’s important to note here that the Jones family does value McCarthy greatly; his consistency, the 12-win seasons, how he’s helped Dak Prescott improve greatly this year. And so, that is a factor in all of this.

“However, Jerry Jones is on record saying that he believes he has the talent on this team to win a Super Bowl. They need a team to do it, haven’t gotten there. So, big decision looms for Jerry Jones. Does he go after a big fish? You have a Bill Belichick who is now a free agent. I can confirm that Belichick and the Jones family have cultivated a good relationship over the years. Will that result in something? Could find out in the next 24-48 hours.”

McCarthy is 42-25 in four seasons with the Cowboys. Dallas has reeled off three straight 12-win seasons but is 1-3 in the postseason under McCarthy.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones offered his embattled coach little backing in the aftermath of the loss.

“I haven’t thought one second about it,” Jones told reporters. “I know how hard, how much it meant to our fans to advance. What this loss to me means, again, not how [or] why, who didn’t do what, all of that type of thing—the only thing on my mind almost this entire game was not an analysis of our strategy, not an analysis of our play, it was, ‘Do we get to play here again next week?’ And we can’t. That could have happened by a point or it could have happened the way it happened out there. That’s all I’ve thought about. It’s real.”

McCarthy has one year remaining on his contract and would likely need an extension to avoid a lame-duck year in 2024. That calculus could lead to Jones making a move, particularly during a period when so many high-profile coaches are on the market.

Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll and Mike Vrabel are the three highest-profile names who were ousted from their respective NFL posts. Belichick and Carroll have Hall of Fame resumes and would represent Jones’ splashiest coaching hire since he brought on Bill Parcells in 2003. Vrabel is coming off a successful six-year run with the Tennessee Titans but is 2-3 during his career in the playoffs. It’s fair to wonder whether he’d be an upgrade over McCarthy.

The wild card could be Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, who is expected to explore NFL opportunities after leading the Wolverines to a national championship. Harbaugh went 44-19-1 during a four-year stint with the San Francisco 49ers and reached three NFC Championship Games and one Super Bowl.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Harbaugh will meet with the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday to discuss their coaching vacancy, but the two sides are not nearing an agreement. Harbaugh is expected to take his time weighing his options, and the Dallas job coming open could change the calculus of his decision.