The Dallas Cowboys are making coaching hires left and right as they aim to complete Brian Schottenheimer's staff so they can get down to brass tacks of the offseason.
It's well-documented that hiring Shottenheimer as head coach was not received well. However, the temperature of the fan base has settled down some as we've gotten further removed from the Friday night bombshell.
Not only did Schottenheimer crush his introductory press conference, but the Cowboys have surrounded him with an objectively strong staff. Beyond that, vice president of player personnel Will McClay, the chief architect of Dallas' roster, signed a five-year extension.
The news cycle at The Star is spinning so fast that you may have missed that Mike McCarthy has removed himself from head coach consideration this cycle. Per NFL Network, McCarthy will take the year off and plans to re-enter the coaching mix in 2026.
It's no secret the Cowboys gave serious consideration to keeping McCarthy. Everyone assumed Jerry Jones low-balled him at the negotiation table, but a report from ESPN suggests it was McCarthy who drove a hard bargain.
Mike McCarthy's contract demands with Cowboys revealed and they're asinine
According to ESPN's Todd Archer, McCarthy wanted a five-year contract and Jones wouldn't deviate from a three-year offer.
"While no financial figures were discussed, the length of a proposed agreement was a sticking point," Archer writes. "McCarthy was seeking a five-year deal, according to multiple sources, while Jones was sticking with three."
This report fully vindicates the Cowboys' decision. It may also explain why it took a full week for the McCarthy situation to resolve itself.
Say what you will about Dallas' injury crisis, but it is preposterous that McCarthy wouldn't take anything less than five years after the team finished 7-10 and missed the playoffs. Let's not forget the worst playoff loss in franchise history last January.
The Joneses were made out to be the villains in all of this, and while they shouldn't be fully absolved of blame they were absolutely right not to give McCarthy a five-year deal.
By refusing to concede two years at the negotiation table, McCarthy played himself out of a job. The Bears and Saints expressed some level of interest in McCarthy. He took an interview with Chicago, but they hired Ben Johnson. The 62-year-old never interviewed with New Orleans before deciding to take the 2025 season off.
Dare we say the Cowboys may stumble into a better situation?
Yes, Schottenheimer is a first-time head coach, but he clearly learned a lot coaching under McCarthy. He wants to install more motion, shifting and play-action into the offense and he's surrounded himself with several accomplished coaches, including defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, tight ends coach Lunda Wells and defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton.
It's way too early to anoint Schottenheimer, but Cowboys fans should be thanking their lucky stars the Joneses remained steadfast in their three-year offer to McCarthy.
