Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is reportedly sending mixed messages to the NFL world on his plans and faith in head coach Mike McCarthy for the 2024 season.
Adam Schefter with ESPN is reporting a key update on McCarthy’s contract situation for next season. McCarthy is set to coach his last season under contract in 2024 unless a new deal is made before the season.
Jerry Jones believes in Mike McCarthy…sort of
Following a disappointing upset in the Wild Card round by the Green Bay Packers in Dallas, Jones announced in a statement this week they were retaining McCarthy for the 2024 season. Jones said he believes McCarthy gives the Cowboys their best chance to reach their “postseason goals” next season:
“There is great benefit to continuing the team’s progress under Mike’s leadership as our head coach. Specifically, there are many layers of success that have occurred this season as a result of Mike’s approach to leading the team, both with individual players and with our team collectively.
Mike has the highest regular-season winning percentage of any head coach in Cowboys history and we will dedicate ourselves, in partnership with him, to translating that into reaching our postseason goals. Certainly, Mike’s career has demonstrated postseason success at a high level, and we have great confidence that can continue…
The lens we use to view and evaluate Coach McCarthy is holistic. While we’re all disappointed with the result on Sunday and with our playoff record, I am 100 percent supportive of him as our head coach and ability to reach our goals.”
Jones put his mouth behind McCarthy this week, but his wallet this weekend says something else entirely.
The Dallas Cowboys won’t extend McCarthy before the 2024 season
According to Adam Schefter with ESPN, the Cowboys do not plan to offer McCarthy an extension before the 2024 season. They’re giving McCarthy the same treatment they gave Jason Garrett during the 2014 and 2019 seasons.
Schefter is reporting sources believe Jones’ decision not to add a year to McCarthy’s contract before next season could make the Cowboys less competitive this season:
“But the fact that he will be coaching in the final year of his deal will hang over McCarthy and the Cowboys, and will create unavoidable issues.
Some sources around the league say that McCarthy could have a more challenging time filling potential openings on his coaching staff since he will be in the last year of his deal. Others say that, during periods of adversity, McCarthy’s lack of an extension could hover over the team.
Some other sources question how the players will react to McCarthy’s contract status later in the year if the 2024 season is not going well.”
The Cowboys will have to deal this offseason with another unfortunate issue Jones created–Dak Prescott’s contract. Prescott’s contract will put the Cowboys in win-now mode.
Jones is publicly saying McCarthy is the right head coach to win with this Cowboys team while not giving him an extension that would put weight behind that belief. Jones is deciding to hand McCarthy a lame-duck year in the same offseason Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll, Mike Vrabel, and Jim Harbaugh are available.
It’s a very strange plan indeed.
For More Football News:
Follow me on Twitter at @JordanSig. You can also reach out to Jordan Sigler via email at jordanmsigler@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in college and NFL news, click here!