Mike McCarthy saga takes interesting turn as Jerry Jones' warning makes things complicated for Cowboys head coach's big opportunity
If you ask Jerry Jones, the Dallas Cowboys are in no rush to announce their decision surrounding the future of head coach Mike McCarthy, whose deal is about to expire following the end of the 2024 regular season. However, the rest of the NFL is in a little bit of a hurry. That includes the Chicago […]
If you ask Jerry Jones, the Dallas Cowboys are in no rush to announce their decision surrounding the future of head coach Mike McCarthy, whose deal is about to expire following the end of the 2024 regular season.
However, the rest of the NFL is in a little bit of a hurry. That includes the Chicago Bears, who are already interviewing head coaching candidates. And to make things really interesting, it just so happens that their list includes McCarthy.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Bears have requested permission to interview McCarthy. The Cowboys have yet to respond to the request.
On Sunday, Jones told reporters he'd allow his coaches to speak to other teams but added what could be interpreted as a warning that he wouldn't want to keep anyone on the team that doesn't want to be in Dallas.
"I would say go talk (to other teams), I really would," Jones told reporters postgame. "I just let Zeke do that, I don't want anybody here, that's not healthy to have somebody around that wants to be someplace else."
Though Jones' comments make sense by themselves, they certainly fail to be fair. After all, it's not a matter of McCarthy abandoning the ship. It's a matter of McCarthy preferring to stay in Dallas, per his own words, but not knowing if Jones wants him back. In that case, it would only be fair for him to have the right to go speak to other teams.
Ultimately, that's what's so wrong about the Cowboys' lack of urgency in the moves they make. For better or worse, the coaching cycle moves fast in the league and waiting even a few days seriously harms coaches' chances of landing a job if they decide to part ways with them.
It isn't about "not wanting to be in Dallas," it's about not knowing if they'll be forced out of the team. For now, we wait until the Cowboys give McCarthy permission or until an announcement is made about his future.
McCarthy and the Bears: Would it make sense?
As for whether or not it would make sense for McCarthy to head back to the midwest, here are some thoughts from an article I wrote in December speculating on the pairing between Mike and the Bears.
McCarthy knows the division, and although many would scoff at the notion of the Bears betting on him, there are many reasons to believe it'd make sense. First and foremost is Caleb Williams' development.
If there's one thing the former Super Bowl winning coach is known for is his ability to develop quarterbacks. Dak Prescott played the best season of his career with him, he fine-tuned Aaron Rodgers' mechanics when he arrived at the league, and even got to work with Joe Montana when the latter headed to Kansas City, an experience that taught him a lot about the quarterback position.
"Rodgers has clearly benefited from McCarthy's training," wrote Chris Brown on his 2015 book, The Art of Smart Football. "As good of a prospect as Rodgers was coming out of Cal, it's striking how different he looks now: he's more athletic, more natural, and has a stronger arm."
