Dallas Cowboys head coach “will STAY” in 2024, even after the team’s unexpected NFL playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Despite rumours regarding his future after the Dallas Cowboys’ shocking wild-card round loss to the Green Bay Packers last Sunday, Mike McCarthy is anticipated to remain the team’s head coach.
The 60-year-old, who just completed his fourth season in Dallas, will play out the last year of his contract with the Cowboys in 2024–25, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday night.
Schefter described the news as “not unusual,” noting that Dallas also let its previous head coach, Jason Garrett, to continue coaching in 2019—the last year of his contract.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones refused to address McCarthy’s future after the 48-32 home defeat to Green Bay last weekend. He only said: ‘This is one of my (biggest) surprises since I’ve been involved in the sport, period. To that degree, I know how disappointed everyone is.’
The Cowboys (12-6) have three consecutive 12-win seasons and playoff trips in four years under McCarthy, hired after 12-plus seasons in Green Bay because of his penchant for getting the Packers deep in the playoffs.
Now Dallas is looking at 29 years since the franchise’s last trip to the NFC championship game. It was the 1995 season, when the Cowboys won their fifth Super Bowl championship.
The Cowboys surged to the NFC East title by overtaking freefalling Philadelphia, the defending division and conference champion, in the final two weeks of the regular season.
Suddenly, Dallas had a chance to host a divisional game after a wild-card victory for the first time since that 1995 season after finishing the regular season with a 16-game home winning streak.
Instead, there will be questions aplenty, along with reminders that McCarthy and Prescott are going into the final years of their contracts.
‘I don’t know how they can be, but I understand the business,’ Prescott said when asked about the loss creating speculation about his 60-year-old coach’s future. ‘In that case, it should be about me as well.
‘I’ve had the season that I’ve had because of him,’ said Prescott, who threw two interceptions before three mostly empty touchdown passes as Dallas fell behind 48-16. ‘This team has had the success that they’ve had because of him. I understand it’s about winning the Super Bowl. That’s the standard of this league and (darn) sure the standard of this place. I get it, but add me to the list, in that case.’
Following the loss on Sunday, Jerry Jones, the owner of the Cowboys, remained silent on McCarthy’s future.
The Cowboys have lost their home playoff opening twice in McCarthy’s three postseason seasons with Dallas. Two years ago, San Francisco defeated them in the wild-card round.
In the previous season, Prescott had one of his finest games ever in a win against Tampa Bay, which turned out to be Tom Brady’s last game before the team lost again to the Niners in the divisional round—this time on the road.
Dallas is the only club to win twelve games or more in three straight postseasons yet never make it to the conference finals.
McCarthy led the Packers to the Super Bowl four times in nine playoff appearances; in 2010, the team defeated Pittsburgh in the Cowboys’ stadium to win the championship. 2018 saw him sacked in the midst of a losing season for the second time in a row.
When asked whether he thought he would stay on as coach, McCarthy said, “I think the biggest thing is we’re disappointed.” My whole squad is in pain in the locker room. I haven’t given this game’s conclusion any consideration.
After leading the NFL in touchdown passes during the regular season and being considered for MVP, Prescott’s postseason record fell to 2-5.
“Three hours ago, we had everything organised,” said Prescott. “Anyone in this organisation, particularly in our locker room, would have never imagined that we would be here.” I keep using the terms “shocked” or “stunned” because of this.
From the 2020 playoffs’ expansion to a 14-team format, Dallas became the first No. 2 seed to fall to the last club ranked at No. 7.
When Jones would meet with McCarthy, he added, was “not set in stone.”
“I was going to spend time with him reviewing our game and preparing for the upcoming week,” Jones said. That was the plan of action. My plan for tomorrow is to fire the squad.
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