Mike McCarthy is moving on from the Dallas Cowboys, but he is not done with coaching in the NFL. Even before Monday’s announcement that he would not return, a few teams were already rumored to be interested if he became available. Now, McCarthy can weigh his options and find his next stop while potentially brining some talent from Dallas with him.

Dan Quinn proved that can be done last offseason. The former Cowboys’ defensive coordinator brought coaches such as Joe Whitt with him to Washington as well as players such as Tyler Biadasz, Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler.

It is not farfetched to believe McCarthy will convince former players and coaches from this year’s team to join him at his next stop. These players and coaches should be following him wherever his next stop is as their time in Dallas has run its course.

2 Cowboys players who should follow McCarthy

1. QB Cooper Rush

While McCarthy was not in Dallas when Cooper Rush first arrived in 2017, Rush’s best years as a fill-in for Dak Prescott came during his tenure. He won his first start in 2021 and went 4-1 during 2022 when Prescott was out with a thumb injury. This past season was the most amount of playing time he received in his career and he went 4-4 steadily guiding the offense.

Rush is set to be a free agent this offseason and based on what the front office decided to do heading into Week 18, it is safe to say he will be looking for a new team. Had Rush played the final game against Washington , he would have been owed more money based on incentives in his contract. To avoid paying it, they started Trey Lance. Even though the game was meaningless, Rush arguably would have been able to win that game based on how it unfolded.

While Rush is no where near the level of a full-time NFL starter, he does have a winning record as a quarterback and for a backup that means something. With the Bears and Saints rumored to be two teams McCarthy might be interested in, they could use a backup quarterback like Rush if Caleb Williams or Derek Carr go down.

Similar to college, NFL players like to stay with coaches who are familiar with them. For Rush him following McCarthy to his next stop makes a lot of sense for his career. The Cowboys will likely be looking to invest in keeping Trey Lance around for at least another season to determine what they really traded for. If that is the case, there will not be room for Rush to easily remain the number two quarterback.

2. WR Brandin Cooks

Brandin Cooks has only been a Cowboy for two seasons and 2024 looks like it will be his last. Since he has arrived in Dallas, Cooks has failed to deliver numbers of a true number two receiver Prescott can rely on. He only played in ten games this season due to injury, the lowest amount since his rookie season. With his contract up and young receivers behind him, the Jones’ will be looking to go cheap in 2025 behind CeeDee Lamb.

For Mike McCarthy, Cooks is an ideal veteran receiver to take to his next stop. Cooks has logged the miles being an 11-year pro with appearances in Super Bowls, but there is no reason to believe he is done playing. Many players in the Cowboys locker room have mentioned how much of professional he is and good mentor for young receivers.

If McCarthy were to go to a team like the Bears or the Saints, both of those teams could use veteran presence in their receiver rooms. New Orleans has young talent such as players like Chris Olave, but no veteran receivers with a track record like Cooks. The same can be said for Chicago if Keenan Allen does not return. Being a 12-year veteran it remains to be seen how much longer he will play. A young receiver like Rome Odunze would greatly benefit from having a guy like Cooks in that locker room.

While it remains to be seen if McCarthy will even go to the Bears or Saints, Cooks should be another player who follows him. When the Cowboys traded for him, it was to try to win big before the Super Bowl window closes. Now the team is arguably in a rebuilding mode at some positions. Cooks following McCarthy to his next coaching stop might be his last chance to get one more good-paying contract.

2 assistant coaches who should follow McCarthy

1. Offensive line coach Mike Solari

Mike Solari has been with McCarthy on two different staffs including Dallas. He actually was a part of Tom Landry’s final coaching staff from 1987 to 1988 as the assistant offensive line coach and special teams coach. Even with Solari being a part of two Cowboys’ coaching staffs, the best direction for him might be to stay with McCarthy.

The familiarity between the two can be traced back to when they both were in Kansas City in the late 1990s. McCarthy was in his final season as quarterbacks coach and Solari was in his second year as the offensive line coach. The two were reunited in Green Bay in 2015 when McCarthy brought in Solari to be the assistant offensive line coach.
After Joe Philbin was let go in Dallas following the 2022 season, McCarthy brought in Solari to replace him.

The coach has spent the last two seasons mentoring the likes of future Hall of Famers Tyron Smith and Zack Martin as well as several young players who saw a lot more playing time this season. Guys like Brock Hoffman and Asim Richards were arguably two of the best replacements on a line decimated by injuries most of the season. That is a testament to Solari’s coaching. While the Cowboys’ offensive line is no longer what it once was, Solari did an admirable job of working with what he had in 2024.

With the Cowboys searching for a new head coach, the likelihood all the assistants will be retained is a long shot. These coaches need to consider other options and Solari’s best one should be to stay with McCarthy. The two have a history together and it would make the most sense based on the success they both had in Dallas at their respective roles.

2. Quarterbacks coach Scott Tolzien

Scott Tolzien is at the beginning of his coaching career so really anything should be on the table for him. Based on the coaching candidates the Cowboys are rumored to be interested in, right now it is hard to see Tolzien remaining on staff. Another factor is the familiarity him and McCarthy share going back to his playing days.

Tolzien went undrafted as a quarterback in 2011 and spent his first few seasons on the bench. His most fruitful stop came with the Packers when McCarthy was there. He signed with the team’s practice squad in 2013 and after Aaron Rodgers got hurt, he was signed to the active roster.

His first start came against the Giants that season and while he did not impress, the Packers kept him as a backup for two more seasons. After his playing career was done, Tolzien spent 2019 as an analyst for his alma mater Wisconsin before McCarthy came calling.

When McCarthy was named head coach of the Cowboys in 2020, he brought on Tolzien as a coaching assistant. He spent three seasons in that role before taking over as quarterbacks coach after Doug Nussmeir left. In his first season Prescott had one of his best seasons in his career, proving he was worth the chance.

With McCarthy having taken chances on Tolzien both as a player and coach, there is no reason to not believe he will be looking to follow him. If he stays with McCarthy he might even have an opportuniy to be an offensive coordinator in the near future. For a young coach like Tolzien, that is an opportunity he cannot pass up.