Latest conflicting report on Mike McCarthy saga makes the future even blurrier for the Dallas Cowboys
The Mike McCarthy saga is getting increasingly weird.On Friday, reports emerged from NFL Network's Tom Pelissero on negotiations being expected to kick off between McCarthy, whose contract expires on Tuesday, and the Dallas Cowboys. However, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Monday morning negotiations have yet to begin. "It's now looking like McCarthy will indeed become a […]
The Mike McCarthy saga is getting increasingly weird.
On Friday, reports emerged from NFL Network's Tom Pelissero on negotiations being expected to kick off between McCarthy, whose contract expires on Tuesday, and the Dallas Cowboys.
However, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Monday morning negotiations have yet to begin.
"It's now looking like McCarthy will indeed become a coaching free agent, with Chicago and New Orleans both expected to be interested in him," Schefter posted on X.
At this point, it's hard to decipher what is going on at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Do the Cowboys want McCarthy back? Declining the Bears' request to interview McCarthy an dragging their feet in the process while outside candidates are interviewing with NFL teams certainly seemed to suggest so. But not even starting negotiations a day from McCarthy's free agency makes it even more confusing.
What we do know is that NFL teams around the league with coaching question marks began their respective processes last week. The New England Patriots have even signed their new head coach Mike Vrabel. It took the New York Giants one day to reaffirm they were running it back with Brian Daboll at head coach. Other NFL teams have put together long lists of interviewees for their vacant head coaching jobs.
But the Cowboys have yet to take a single step toward the 2025 season, other than having a few meetings with McCarthy that reportedly haven't involved any negotiating.
Whether they wanted to keep or part ways with McCarthy, the Cowboys would've benefitted from making their decision early on and work toward the offseason. Yet, they're once again showing a clear lack of intentionality that at least keeps them in the headlines.
Three things I think I think about the Cowboys-McCarthy drama:
- The Cowboys are trying to convince McCarthy to stay, not the other way around. I'd be willing to bet – and I'm purely speculating here, no inside information – there's a difference in what both parties are looking for contract wise, be it contract length or compensation.
- McCarthy is high up on the Bears' list of head coaching candidates.
- It’s not a guarantee that McCarthy stays in Dallas, which has become clear with the latest news.
Cowboys fans are used to waiting around. They wait every March for the front office to get involved in free agency, they wait for a deal until training camp every time a player is due for a big contract extension, and they've been waiting for almost three decades for a Super Bowl appearance. Getting to Tuesday won't be a big challenge for them.
