This is what Cowboys purgatory looks like.
Mike McCarthy’s job with the team is very much undecided with his contract expiring in less than a week. But as ESPN reported Thursday, the “future” was on the table during a recent discussion between the Super Bowl-winning coach and team owner Jerry Jones.
McCarthy, 61, and Jones, 82, “spent significant time Tuesday and Wednesday discussing the future —whether it’s a new contract in Dallas or McCarthy potentially coaching elsewhere in 2025,” according to NFL insider Jeremy Fowler.
Although the sources Fowler has spoken with “believe McCarthy is more likely to stay,” both parties “need to be sure.”
The Cowboys coach since 2020, McCarthy posted a 49-35 record across five seasons that included three trips to the playoffs.
McCarthy, who won a Super Bowl with the Packers, expressed a desire to return Sunday after the Cowboys concluded their injury-plagued 2024 campaign with a 23-19 loss to the Commanders.
“I have a lot invested here, and the Cowboys have a lot invested in me,” McCarthy said. “And then there’s a personal side to all these decisions. So, they all point in the right direction.”
Even with his ties to the Cowboys — who finished the year at 7-10 — that hasn’t stopped other teams searching for a new head coach from inquiring about McCarthy.
On Monday, the Bears submitted a request to speak with McCarthy about their vacancy. The inquiry was blocked by Dallas a day later.
In regards to the Saints’ opening, Fowler reported Thursday “McCarthy could have some interest.”
Elsewhere on Thursday, ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky suggested “many teams,” including the Cowboys, “are going to want to talk to some of the college football coaches” who are preparing for the semifinals of the College Football Playoff.
“I think teams and the Cowboys could want to talk to [Ohio State coach] Ryan Day. I think they could want to talk to [Notre Dame coach] Marcus Freeman. The way the NFL is going is trending a little bit toward the younger coach,” Orlovsky said on “Get Up,” as covered by Awful Announcing.
Freeman and the Fighting Irish face Penn State in the Orange Bowl on Thursday night, while Day and the Buckeyes will face Texas in Friday’s Cotton Bowl.
McCarthy’s Cowboys contract expires Jan. 14 — six days before the national championship.