The Dallas Cowboys have yet to decide on Mike McCarthy’s future, but another NFC team is reportedly interested in exploring how he might fit into their plans.
The Chicago Bears have requested to interview McCarthy, adding him to their extensive coaching search. The Bears parted ways with Matt Eberflus during the season. He went 14–32 with Chicago.
It’s a unique situation for both McCarthy and the Cowboys. He’s still employed but his contract expires on Jan. 14. Dallas has exclusivity rights with McCarthy and could block the request. The Cowboys have not yet responded, per ESPN.
That’s potentially troubling news for McCarthy, particularly if the Bears show little patience with the hire. For the Cowboys, it highlights the reality that another franchise is considering their head coach.
Cowboys Coach Mike McCarthy: ‘I’m a Winner’
McCarthy and the Cowboys are coming off a rough, underachieving campaign. Dallas finished the season 7-10, although they spent a chunk of the year without the services of franchise quarterback Dak Prescott. McCarthy had previously led Dallas to three consecutive 12-win regular seasons but had just one playoff win to show for it.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones opted to let McCarthy coach the final year of his contract without offering an extension — a decision that became a distraction, especially as the season took a downturn. Throughout the year, McCarthy largely avoided discussing his future. However, he stood firm in support of his abilities when addressing the topic at season’s end.
“I don’t like to talk about myself that way, but I’ll just be clear: I’m a winner. I know how to win. I’ve won a championship. I won a championship in this building,” McCarthy said. “And that’s who I am. We’ll see where it goes.”
Mike McCarthy Would Like to Stay With Cowboys
McCarthy has a Super Bowl on his resume and has notched 117 wins over 18 NFL seasons. As evident by the Bears’ request, he’ll likely draw interest from around the league if let go. However, his preference is to remain in Dallas.
“Absolutely. I have a lot invested here, and the Cowboys have a lot invested in me,” McCarthy said. “And then there’s a personal side to all these decisions. So, they all point in the right direction.”
Jones hasn’t revealed his decision but backed McCarthy publicly after a Week 18 loss to the Washington Commanders.
“Mike is one of the best coaches that there is. He was made to coach here,” Jones said. “He’s done absolutely nothing to diminish my opinion of him as a coach. I am very impressed with the way the players are with him. That’s important.”
While Jones had some nice things to say about McCarthy, he did little to shed light on a potential timeline for a decision.
“I’ll follow the kind of the timeframe that I’ve done in the past. So the way that it’s evolved in the past will be a timeframe, and I can tell you the past is not necessarily consistent in terms of a timeframe,” Jones said. “At the risk of talking about something that I don’t want to talk about at this time, but we’ve got a lot of work to do, but certainly we’re all looking for ways to get better.”
