For Mike McCarthy and the fans, this season has been a failure. The Cowboys failed to qualify for the playoffs. After week 17, they have a 7-9 win-loss record. But some fans and even the owner Jerry Jones believe that the HC was good, particularly in December, with 2 wins. However, in the week 17 game against the Eagles, they lost by 7-41. The big question is looming: will the head coach get an extension?

On December 30, former Cowboys legend and 3-time Super Bowl winner, Michael Irvin, appeared on of ‘The Herd with Colin Cowherd’ show. Irvin downplayed the late surge and said, “I know everybody felt good about December and all of that stuff. I still say it was too little too late.” He then gave a big message to Jerry Jones that was, “I would (replace McCarthy). I just think it’s time to go in another direction. I hear this late surge to maybe go to stay with Mike McCarthy. I’m not on that. I’m not on that bandwagon.”

Mike McCarthy has been overall (fairly) successful in his 5-year stint with the Cowboys. He took them to playoffs in 3 of 5 seasons. They were NFC East champions in 2023 and 2021. But if we talk of trophies, they failed to advance into the Super Bowl even once. So, it wouldn’t be an easy decision for the owner if he wanted to replace the coach or not.

The legend argued that they needed a coach with a much-disciplined stance. While talking about the required approach, Irvin added, “You can’t come in soft and then try to get tough coz it’s a wreck. You got to come in tough and then lighten up because then the guys will feel like they’ve earned some respect.” The situation is tricky for the franchise.

However, there is another angle. Both the HC and the owner have a similar approach to the game. They don’t talk much about the future.

Mike McCarthy refuses to talk about his contract extension

The Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after the Buccaneers game in week 16 that he would talk about the HC contract later. On December 30, the HC also had a similar attitude. The reporters asked him about his extension, but McCarthy bluntly replied, “I need to make sure I’m doing exactly what I’m asking everybody else to do. We need to finish the race. We’ll have time to talk about that next week.”

The approach is clear. They would sit down together after the Commanders’ game in week 18. Most people hope that Mike McCarthy will get an extension, but both sides are quiet. Though the owner praised the coach for his performance in December, things are not final.

No one can predict what will happen at the franchise. Jones is known to make quirky decisions. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.