The Dallas Cowboys fired Mike McCarthy, ending his five-year run as head coach. His last season fell apart with a disappointing 7-10 record, capped by a brutal five-game losing streak.
McCarthy's contract expired last Wednesday. With a Tuesday midnight deadline looming for a new deal, neither side started negotiations.
During his time in Texas, McCarthy went 49-35 but struggled in the playoffs, winning just one game. Over 18 NFL seasons, he put up a 176-114-2 record, with his biggest win coming in Super Bowl XLV with Green Bay in 2011.
Team owner Jerry Jones now begins his ninth head coach search since buying the team. Meanwhile, Chicago and New Orleans have already shown interest in McCarthy for their open positions.
"That losing the team stuff, that's so overblown... These guys are so, first of all, they're natural competitors," said Jones to ESPN.
2024 was rough at home, where they won just two out of nine games. A string of injuries sidelined stars Dak Prescott, Zack Martin, DeMarcus Lawrence, Trevon Diggs, and CeeDee Lamb, putting them all on IR.
When McCarthy replaced Jason Garrett in 2020, his main goal was playoff success. But that target escaped him throughout his time in charge.
Contract length became the main issue in talks. When they couldn't agree, the Cowboys decided to look elsewhere.
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