Mike McCarthy and Jerry Jones find themselves in a pretty ironic situation after latest Dallas Cowboys news
According to Tom Pelissero from NFL Network, the Dallas Cowboys and Mike McCarthy "remain open to moving forward together and the sides are expected to open talks today on a new contract to keep him in Dallas." Pelissero adds that negotiations haven't begun (more on that later) and that there "are other issues to work through." […]
According to Tom Pelissero from NFL Network, the Dallas Cowboys and Mike McCarthy "remain open to moving forward together and the sides are expected to open talks today on a new contract to keep him in Dallas."
Pelissero adds that negotiations haven't begun (more on that later) and that there "are other issues to work through." Things should be moving fast in the coming days because as Jerry Jones likes to remind fans at every turn, deadlines make deals.
In this case, January 14th is the key date as McCarthy would be free to speak to other teams by then. The Cowboys head coach has already drawn interest from the Chicago Bears who even put in a request to talk to him which was declined by Dallas. Dianna Russini from The Athletic reported he would have a legit shot of landing the Bears job.
It sounds like the Cowboys are trying to convince Mike McCarthy, not the other way around
Now here's the thing about this latest bit of news on McCarthy: if the Cowboys are opening talks today about a new contract – and why would it have taken them so long to do so if they wanted to bring him back? – it basically means they want McCarthy to stay.
In all likelihood, the football decision is made. Now the question is can they convince him to stay with a new offer?
Talk about big-time irony. McCarthy, who has been considered to be in the hot seat going back to January of 2024, led the Cowboys to a 7-10 record this season, and it seems like it's the Cowboys, not him, doing the convincing in the negotiating table.
It's no secret McCarthy wasn't among the highest-paid coaches in the league on his previous deal. According to Sportrico, Andy Reid is the highest paid head coach at $20 million per year with Kyle Shanahan ranking sixth at $14 million. McCarthy is estimated to make around $4 million per year.
And we have reason to believe Jerry Jones' pitch to McCarthy is even less attractive this time around, as he spoke to reporters about an incentive-based deal idea following Week 18.
"The more you can have the incentive plan, to me, the better," Jones told reporters last Sunday. "For instance, I might say, look, I’m going to pay you this much, but then I’ll pay you not any more. And I know you want twice that, but if you get to the playoffs or you win a Super Bowl, I’ll give you five times that."
Naturally, the idea of paying a head coaching candidate half of what he wants with the promise of upside through incentives won't be an automatic sell even for McCarthy, specially if he's already drawing interest from another NFL team despite not being a free agent. Could McCarthy simply prefer to wait out a year for another opportunity if he's not content with the Cowboys' offer? I wouldn't rule it out.
But let's recap what appears to have been the Cowboys' process so far. They didn't evaluate their head coaching situation until the season ended, kicking off discussions with McCarthy during the week that allegedly just centered around football. despite the fact Jones had said on Sunday that the determining and negotiation "happened in one football motion." They declined the Bears' request to interview McCarthy even after Jones suggested he would allow his coaches to talk to other teams. And up to Friday morning, negotiations have reportedly not even begun.
From the outside looking in, it sounds like the Cowboys have some convincing to do. And though it seems like they want McCarthy back, one can't help but wonder how far apart they are in terms of compensation.
