Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones continues to keep everyone guessing about what he plans to do about his head-coaching situation.
Mike McCarthy seemed to have one foot out the door just a few days ago, but after Jones’ comments during a radio interview on Tuesday morning, that may not be the case.
“I don’t think [giving McCarthy a contract extension is] crazy at all, that’s not crazy,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan. “Listen, Mike McCarthy is an outstanding coach. I was watching the game last night and [Troy] Aikman was talking about it and he’s reiterated that several times perfectly – this is a Super Bowl-winning coach.”
“Mike McCarthy has been there, done that – he’s got great ideas. Bottom line is, no place in my body language or anything else have you seen indications about what we’re going to be doing relative to this staff at the end of this year.”
While Jones’ remarks make it seem like there’s at least a path for McCarthy to get another contract, McCarthy himself didn’t really seem to put too much weight into what the 82-year-old owner/GM said.
“I really haven’t talked about (my future) all year, so I’m definitely not going to start on a short week with an important division game,” McCarthy told reporters. “But I’m not going to throw away positive vibes either, so keep them coming. But that’s not something I’m really focused on.”
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy when asked about Jerry Jones saying it wouldn’t be crazy to think McCarthy could get a contract extension
Many expect Jones to make a change after the disappointing season the Cowboys have had.
Dallas is 4-7 with very little chance of sneaking into the playoffs, and there’s been debates about whether or not McCarthy, who had three straight 12-5 seasons with three playoff appearances in his first three years with the Cowboys, had lost the locker room.
But if the Cowboys finish the year with any sort of glimmer of hope for next season, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that McCarthy is back next year, especially if Jones doesn’t like what’s out there on the coaching market, or if he fails to woo Bill Belichick out of his sports media career and back to the sidelines.
