The Dallas Cowboys have made a mess of their head coach situation since the regular season ended. At first, it looked like Jerry Jones and company were going to retain Mike McCarthy, whose contract is expiring on Jan. 14. However, the talks between the two sides have stalled out and McCarthy is now out as the Cowboys coach.
Shortly after the move was announced, Jones released a lengthy statement regarding McCarthy in a post from the Cowboys on social media.
“Prior to reaching the point of contract negotiations, though, it became mutually clear that it would be better for each of us to head in a different direction,” the statement read. “I thank Mike and wish him, his wife Jessica and their family the best. They have been a wonderful part of our community here. We will commence a search process immediately to hire the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.”
The timing of the decision and the way it was handled comes as somewhat of a surprise, as it puts the Cowboys behind the 8-ball in their search for their next head coach. Mike Vrabel has already been hied as the next head coach for the New England Patriots and a majority of other candidates have already interviewed with the teams in search of a coach.
Two of the top coaching candidates are the two coordinators of the Detroit Lions, who have been one of the best teams in the NFL all season long. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn are two of the top candidates, but the timing of the Cowboys’ decision to let McCarthy to go doesn’t allow Jones to interview with either one of them. The Cowboys would have been able to talk to Johnson and Glenn during the Lions’ bye week, but they will now have to wait until Detroit’s season is over.
The Cowboys job is enticing for a few different reasons. You have a star quarterback and a star receiver on offense and one of the best edge rushers in football on defense. Some of the Cowboys’ young pieces have also stepped up in a big way for them in the past few seasons, so the roster is in a decent spot. That alone should make this one of the more coveted openings in this cycle.
