On Sunday, Cowboys owner and GM Jerry Jones sounded very cavalier about the future of coach Mike McCarthy, whose contract is up in just a few days (January 14) and who has not been given a new deal by Dallas. As if to amp up pressure on the Cowboys to make a decision, McCarthy has been the subject of an interview request from the Chicago Bears.
“I’d say, ‘Go talk,’ Jones said, shrugging, when asked about McCarthy possibly interviewing elsewhere. “I don’t want anybody here who doesn’t want to be here.’”
On Monday, the Bears did log that interview request, and it’s typical that a team will reply quickly. Because McCarthy’s contract is not up quite year, he is not free to chat with the Chicagoans at his leisure–he needs the team’s permission.
On Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN dropped a bit of a bombshell into the McCarthy situation: He reported that Dallas has not bothered to call the Bears back just yet.
He wrote on Twitter/X: “One day after the Bears sought permission from the Cowboys to interview Mike McCarthy for their vacant head coaching job, Dallas still has not responded to Chicago’s request, per source.”
Cowboys Called Out for Not Answering Bears
Around the league, that news was met with incredulity, and Schefter’s tweet quickly went viral, with nearly 900,000 views in just three hours. Are the Cowboys planning on bringing McCarthy back? Even after the 2023 playoff disaster against the Packers, and even after this season’s 7-10 trainwreck? If so, what are they waiting for?
And if not, why are they not letting McCarthy interview elsewhere?
Former NFL player and current analyst Ross Tucker wrote on Twitter/X, “He should just do it. What are they going to do, fire him? His contract expires in a week.”
Dan Orlovsky of ESPN wrote on Twitter/X that this is par for the Cowboys’ course, “What the heck is going on (as usual)?”
RJ Ochoa of “Blogging the Boys,” wrote, “SportsCenter has been talking about the Dallas Cowboys non-stop (basically) since the Schefter report about how Dallas has yet to respond to Chicago’s interview request for Mike McCarthy Because of course.”
As @BocaSportsBets noted, “The Cowboys are a mess. Jerry needs to sell the team.”
Mike McCarthy Wants to Stay
McCarthy, for his part, has been clear that he does want to stay in Dallas. But he’s also been clear that he thinks he is a top-quality coach and intends to continue on with his career, whether in Dallas or elsewhere.
McCarthy said this week when asked if he wants to stay: “Absolutely, I mean, I have a lot invested here. And the Cowboys have a lot invested in me. There is a personal side in all these decisions, and they all point in the right direction. I think anytime you invest your time, energy, your belief, the connection you have, the relationships you have in place here, the understanding of what the organization can do and is willing to do, those are all positive attributes that you take into account.
“But absolutely, I am a builder. I believe in building programs. I believe in developing young players. So, at the end of the day, it is about winning. You have to have those components in place to get this thing where it needs to be. I think we have a good foundation here.”
