The departure of Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy and where Dallas goes from here is the biggest story in North Texas sports right now — and even one of the biggest sports stories in the country.
McCarthy finished 49-35 in five seasons with the Cowboys. Legendary coach Tom Landry and Jason Garrett are the only coaches in franchise history with more victories.
But the team had a disappointing 2024, and McCarthy and the Cowboys reached the decision to move on earlier this week following a 7-10 season in which Dallas failed to make the playoffs.
How did we get here?
The hope heading into the season was that the Cowboys were ready to break through following three straight 12-5 seasons and make a run at the Super Bowl. Dallas started 3-2 before the season took a turn for the worse: The Cowboys dropped five straight games and lost quarterback Dak Prescott for the season when he injured his hamstring in a loss to the Atlanta Falcons in early November.
Losing Prescott was a devastating blow for the Cowboys, which signed him to a four-year, $240 million contract ahead of its opener. The Cowboys made a run late in the season, winning four of five games beginning in late November, but ultimately couldn't rally to make the playoffs.
The pressure is always high in Dallas due to the Cowboys' history of success and their status as one of the most popular teams in professional sports, and Dallas never got over the hump in the playoffs under McCarthy. The Cowboys lost in a wild card round in 2021 and 2023. Dallas did knock off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild card round in 2022, but fell in the divisional round to the San Francisco 49ers that season.
Still, that's better than the team performed in 2024. But despite their recent woes, Prescott came out in support of McCarthy during the season, and Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones also supported him earlier in the season before both sides elected to move on.
Ultimately, when seasons don't unfold as teams hope, the blame falls on a handful of people in the NFL: the coach, his staff, the personnel department and the general manager.
Jones is both the owner and general manager, so he isn't going anywhere. McCarthy ended up taking the blame and leaving the organization.
He does bear some responsibility, but it's hard not to acknowledge that he faced tough circumstances at times, particularly this season when Prescott was injured.
What happens now?
All eyes will be on where Jerry Jones turns now that he's parted ways with McCarthy. Deion Sanders, a pro football Hall of Famer and former Cowboys great who is now the coach at the University of Colorado, has spoken with Jones about the job. There's reportedly interest from both parties.
The Cowboys also reportedly plan on interviewing former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh and Kellen Moore, a former Cowboys quarterback and offensive coordinator who is now the Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator.
A host of other potential candidates have been mentioned, including Detroit Lions coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, as well as former Cowboys tight end Jason Witten.
Cowboys fans will wait to see how Dallas' search plays out over the next few days as what will be an interesting offseason begins.
As for McCarthy? He's widely respected in the NFL, and he's scheduled to interview with the Chicago Bears for their head coaching job as well as with the New Orleans Saints. Time will tell where he lands.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.
Copyright 2025 KERA