Can Mike McCarthy be counted on by other teams? The reason for this question is that the Dallas Cowboys coach’s name can reportedly soon be added to ‘the former coaches’ list of the team. Yes, you heard it right! This might be true, as McCarthy is also entering into the final year of his five-year contract, and is “fed up” with owner Jerry Jones, who hasn’t said anything about it. Therefore, in a recent episode of The Colin Cowherd Podcast on August 12, 2024, the host gave McCarthy advice to brush off all the blame on him in the future.

Cowherd and John Middlekauf discussed Mike McCarthy’s current situation wherein he is waiting for his contract extension. There the analyst, Cowherd, compared McCarthy to Trey Lance, mentioning how some quarterbacks perform their best under certain coaches. He noted that McCarthy has managed to get solid performances out of most of his quarterbacks, even in challenging situations. And this includes Dak Prescott too, who leads the 2023 season in TDs (36). So, now that he might be released in the future, he has a way to shake off all the dirt, putting all the blame on owner Jones and quarterback Prescott. But how?

Cowherd suggested that if McCarthy leads the Cowboys to a decent season, by winning “10 to 11, it’s certainly feasible, I think they’re a 10-win team not a 12-win team. He walks out of there he can say in closed doors ‘Jesus it’s a sh*t show with the owner and Dak [Prescott] is what he is and I’m winning 12 games okay, you may not be the coach, on the market you’re one of seven.” In a crux, he meant that behind closed doors, McCarthy could claim that the challenges in Dallas, including the owner’s influence and Dak Prescott’s limitations (contract ending soon), made his job difficult. However, he still managed to win games with a 62.7% win percentage.

Therefore, if McCarthy leaves, the Cowboys would have to face the music and not the coach himself, at least as per Cowherd’s theory.

Until then, the coach is reportedly “fed up” with Jones.

History is repeating?

Mike McCarthy seems to be reaching a breaking point in his relationship with team owner Jerry Jones. This is evident from the statement made by an ex-Cowboys personnel man, who recently said, “He’s [McCarthy] doing it the best he can. Some of the people I’ve talked to have said that he’s getting fed up with it a little bit.” However, the interesting part is that this isn’t the first time Jones has clashed with his coaches. The history of hands-on management has been well-documented in the case of Jimmy Johnson. This coach left the team after their Super Bowl success in the early ’90s.

The reason was the same! A dispute! Some unknown constant disagreements with Jones led to his farewell with the team. Hence, McCarthy’s frustration isn’t unique. However, that’s not all about Jones! Some reports also claim that the owner has the habit of over-involvement, which they believe is affecting the team’s performance on the field.

But if we look on Jones’ side, many believe that despite McCarthy’s solid regular-season record (125-77-2), the Cowboys have struggled in the playoffs. This is why it is fueling speculation about his future with the team, and Jones isn’t taking any risk now.