Mike McCarthy out as Cowboys coach after contract talks break down

It’s over between Mike McCarthy and the Cowboys.

The two sides could not reach an agreement on a long-term contract and he will pursue other positions, NFL Network reports.

The Bears and Saints had interest in interviewing McCarthy, but Dallas initially rebuffed Chicago when the head coach was still under contract.

The Saints did not officially request an interview, but are expected to do so now.

Across five seasons at the helm in Dallas, McCarthy’s Cowboys amassed a record of 49-35.

The franchise reached the playoffs in 2021, ‘22 and ‘23, but have only one postseason victory to show for those efforts — a 31-14 drubbing of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022. 

The Cowboys went 12-5 in each of those three seasons before the disastrous 2024 campaign, which saw the team finish with a record of 7-10. 

Riddled with injuries at nearly every position group, 2024 marked Dallas’ worst campaign since 2020, McCarthy’s first at the helm, when the team won just six contests.

Prior to leading the Cowboys, McCarthy served as the head coach in Green Bay for 13 seasons — winning a career-best 13 games with Aaron Rodgers under center in 2007, then Super Bowl XLV in 2011.

McCarthy got his start in the NFL serving as the offensive coordinator with the New Orleans Saints from 2000-04. After that, he transferred to San Francisco and worked the same job for one season, 2005.

In Dallas, where he was hired as head coach some 15 years later, McCarthy’s final season was mired by an unflinching championship mandate and creeping doubt about his job security should he fall short.

Expectations were never higher than in 2024, and the bulk of that pressure landed on the shoulders of quarterback Dak Prescott, who competed in just eight games before being shut down with a partially torn hamstring, and the man behind the bench. 

For as impressive as McCarthy’s record to date was — 42-25; only Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs boasted more wins over the previous three regular seasons — a deep postseason run was imperative for the coach to convince owner Jerry Jones to extend his contract beyond 2024-25.

McCarthy, though, hardly got the chance.

Injuries started to pile up as early as Week 5 when Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence were both sidelined during a win over the Giants at MetLife Stadium.

By the time Prescott went down in Week 9, the Cowboys had dug themselves into a 3-5 hole.

Dallas won four of its last seven to close out the regular season at 7-10, but Jones had seen enough.

Out with the old, in with the new.