Getty Images Jerry Jones said Mike McCarthy did not get an extension from the Cowboys due to their playoff loss to the Packers.
Mike McCarthy’s future with the Dallas Cowboys is uncertain as he heads into the final year of his contract.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has a two-word reason for not offering an extension to his head coach, who has had three consecutive 12-win seasons.
“Green Bay,” Jones said on Thursday, July 25.
The Cowboys lost to the Packers in the Wild Card, 48-32, as a touchdown home favorite. Dallas was the only home team to lose in the Wild Card round.
However, Jones’ statement does not mean he doesn’t believe in McCarthy. He still envisions a situation where McCarthy is the skipper in Dallas for “years to come.”
“Mike has shown me that I want to have him, and he’s qualified and he’s excellent and the players are excellent and he’s shown me that he could be our coach for years to come,” Jones said. “He sits next to me in the draft. I really call on him a lot. If you can’t get along with Mike McCarthy, you can’t get along.”
McCarthy’s career coaching record is 167-102-2, most of it with the Packers. He won Super Bowl XLV with Green Bay.
Cowboys Coach Mike McCarthy Calls Contract Situation ‘Challenging’
McCarthy admitted that coaching with uncertainty about the future is tough not just for him, but also his staff.
“This is a challenge,” McCarthy said, via David Moore of the Dallas Morning News.
McCarthy could be dubbed a “lame duck” head coach but Jones pushed back against that idea.
“I don’t agree with you,” Jones said. “I understand the term, and I understand how it fits. There’s a point in there, I know our fans would like it if everybody were on a low contract, but if they won a Super Bowl, they’d get rid of [everybody]. I’m talking about every coach, every player, I’m talking about everybody. I know that’s the fans’ sentiment. I know that for a fact that you don’t domino if you don’t [win a Super Bowl]. But if you get it, it’s a glory hole. Oil and gas term of hitting the big well.”
Postseason success will be the big factor in McCarthy’s future. And frankly, it could affect other decisions, like the future of quarterback Dak Prescott and others. It’s been nearly three decades since the Cowboys have played in an NFC Championship game. Dallas is 1-3 under McCarthy in the playoffs.
Cowboys Boss Jerry Jones Stokes Bill Belichick Link
If the Cowboys were to move on from McCarthy a notable name that would likely be in the mix is Bill Belichick. The six-time Super Bowl champ is without a coaching job this year after parting ways with the New England Patriots.
Jones calls Belichick a friend and didn’t avoid heaping some praise on the legendary skipper.
“I think he may be the best coach, certainly of my time in the NFL, and I happen to be part of a team that had the great Tom Landry, and I’d put him right there,” Jones said. “Bill’s a friend and a great coach.”
The Cowboys open the regular season on September 8 against the Cleveland Browns.
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