The Dallas Cowboys knew questions surrounding Mike McCarthy’s contract would shade their season. When an NFL head coach enters the final year of his contract without an extension, speculation will abound.
So when the Cowboys fell to 3-7 last month after their fifth straight loss, that is the moment I thought this could finally be the end of the Mike McCarthy era in Dallas, yet now heading into week 15, a different picture is being painted.
The Cowboys have won three of four games, also leading in the final minute and a half in its loss against the Cincinnati Bengals, a game in which honestly should have been won.
The defense for the Cowboys has been balling, and although Cooper Rush has tried to give every single game away, he has done enough to help them not blow these games.
Jerry Seems Okay With Him
As always Jerry Jones talked on his morning show on Tuesday about Mike and the job he has done recently.
“I don’t know how you cannot say that his team has shown that they’ll handle adversity,” Jerry Jones said Tuesday morning on Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan. “He can get you there with the injury situation impacting the availability of those players.”
He is right about these injuries, and that is why I think both McCarthy and Zimmer are going to get a pass and return for another year in 2025, and it sucks that we may have to see this again.
Yet, if he look at the big picture, these last handful of games the Cowboys have won has been against bottom feeders.
The Cowboys’ past four opponents have won just 35.7% of their games this year (20-36 combined record). So the recent wins may not represent better coaching than the prior years that kept McCarthy on the final year of his contract in 2024.
It is wash rinse and repeat for this dude, Jerry will never allow himself to be wrong, and start over.
Ideal Situation
Look around the league, the teams that are thriving are the ones that are getting younger at head coach/play caller.
The Cowboys staff is numbered. As much as I want to try and give them a pass, this team did not look good when they were healthy. They got boat raced by the Saints, the Lions, the Eagles, etc.
Yet, by beating up on the lower end of the league, they beat very well grant themselves one more year, and we will be in the same boat, begging for them to get let go.
In my own thoughts, the ideal situation for this team would be to replace McCarthy and Zimmer and get younger.
I know most guys like Ben Johnson and others probably would not take a job with Dallas because they would have to deal with Jerry Jones, but it is at least fun to think about.
Johnson and few others are going to be the hottest free agent coaches once this season is over, and the Dallas Cowboys are going to be stuck staring at Mike McCarthy on the sidelines once again in 2025.
90% of the Cowboys cap is going to be taken by Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and probably Micah Parsons when he gets paid this offseason, and there is really no way this team will be able to sign anyone.
With winning these last few games, their draft spot is now going to be outside the top 15 which will hurt them in 2025.
They could make it work if they really wanted to but, let’s be honest, they won’t. That is why they need some new coaches in here to get creative, make what they have work.
I would just like to see this team be successful again, but until somethings change, this will not change.