The Dallas Cowboys might be soon be looking for a new head coach in the offseason.
The Cowboys lost in stunning fashion to the Green Bay Packers, 48-32, in the wild card round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday, January 14. Despite the Packers entering as -7 point underdogs and the youngest team since the 1974 Buffalo Bills to make it to the playoffs, they completely outmatched the Cowboys, racing out to a 27-0 lead in the first half before Dallas finally scored.
The loss means that head coach Mike McCarthy is officially on the hot seat after Dallas lost their first home game after winning 16 consecutive at AT&T Stadium. McCarthy — in his fourth season in Dallas — is now 1-3 in the postseason and has yet to lead the Cowboys to a conference championship game appearance.
Long before the game came to a close, fans and the media took to social media to speculate on the Cowboys’ next potential head coach, with all eyes pointing towards former New England Patriots legend Bill Belichick.
“Just a total meltdown,” Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “And a note here: Bill Belichick has, quietly in recent years, through doing football business and attending owners meetings, built a very solid relationship with both Jerry and Stephen Jones. Things might be getting pretty interesting here.”
Others media members were more blunt with their take on a potential Cowboys-Belichick pairing.
Bill Belichick the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys??
Bill Belichick already cutting the sleeves off a Cowboys hoodie as we speak.
Honestly, the Cowboys would be the perfect spot for Belichick. For him, for the league, for everyone.
The Belichick to the Cowboys agenda is already at a fever pitch.
Holy shit… Bill Belichick is gonna be the head coach of the Cowboys isn’t he?
Bill Belichick walking into the Cowboys’ facility tomorrow
Cowboys Linked to Bill Belichick Prior to Playoff Game
Before the game, there had been reports linking Belichick to the Cowboys if they decided to move on from McCarthy after the season.
Via Mike Florio of NBC Sports (h/t Paul Kasabian of Bleacher Report):
“Yes, the Cowboys are believed to be in play [for Belichick],” Florio said on NBC’s pre-game show on Saturday, January 13. “There’s a long history of respect and admiration between Bill Belichick and Jerry Jones. They have a great team there. Belichick could just go in and coach it to places they haven’t been in a very long time.”
That report syncs up with the one from several days prior from The Athletic’s Mike Sando. Sando reported that one executive believed Belichick could emerge as a “sleeper” candidate for the Cowboys.
“Belichick to Dallas is my sleeper,” the anonymous exec said.
Why Mike McCarthy is Likely Done as Cowboys Coach
Prior to the game, it had also been reported that McCarthy’s future in Dallas largely hinged on how the team ended its season in the playoffs, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“If the Cowboys play well in the postseason,” Schefter wrote on January 6. “McCarthy would have an excellent chance to keep his job. But if they struggle and end the season with an embarrassing loss, as has happened in each of the past two years, then some say that change could come to Dallas.”
It’s safe to say the Cowboys’ 16-point loss to the No. 7-seeded Packers at home qualifies as an “embarrassing” loss.
Furthermore, the Cowboys are now the first team to win 12 games in three consecutive seasons and fail to advance to a conference championship game, according to ESPN’s Jenna Laine.
“The Cowboys are the first team in NFL history to win 12 games in three straight seasons and fail to make the conference championship in any of them,” writes Laine.
While nothing is set in stone, it feels inevitable that Dallas will move on from McCarthy after another quick playoff exit. The question is, will the Cowboys land Belichick?
We’ll likely find out in the next several weeks whether that ends up being the case.
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Cowboys, Bill Belichick Speculation Reaches New Peak Amid Playoff Blowout