Futures can change quickly in the NFL. When the Dallas Cowboys were 3-7, it seemed head coach Mike McCarthy seeking a new job next season was a foregone conclusion. Now, nearly six weeks later, McCarthy may have earned himself a contract extension from Jerry Jones.
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Has Dallas miraculously walked back into the playoff picture? No. In fact, they’ve already been eliminated from postseason contention. But McCarthy has prevented his Cowboys from quitting on the campaign. His 4-1 record over the past five games is all the evidence necessary to confirm this. To Colin Cowherd – speaking on The Herd – it shows McCarthy is one of the best coaches in the NFL.
“Sometimes people get a reputation, and it’s unwarranted… let’s really look at what [Mike McCarthy] has done in his career. Cause I think Mike [McCarthy] is a top 10 coach. Maybe closer to 10 than one, but he’s a top 10 coach.”
Cowherd broke down each stop of McCarthy’s career after making his claim. When he was finished, viewers could see his case was much more legitimate than they may have initially believed.
Cowherd lays out Mike McCarthy’s accomplishments
Mike McCarthy’s first year as an NFL head coach was 2006. That season, the Green Bay Packers started 4-8 but won their final four games. The strong finish set the tone for a dominant 2007, where he went 13-3 and captured the NFC’s No. 1 seed.
Those two years, spent with a late-thirties Brett Favre at quarterback, are where Cowherd began his analysis. Following a brief detailing of that stretch, he moved on to McCarthy’s 11-year tenure coaching Aaron Rodgers.
“He takes over an old, stubborn, rigid Brett Favre… didn’t want to change his ways. Got him, in his last year in Green Bay, [to go] 13-3 [and reached] the NFC Championship. Favre leaves. There’s this raw, talented kid: Aaron Rodgers… we know that Aaron [Rodgers] can be a little difficult, prickly. Sometimes it feels like he’s almost working behind the scenes against you. And he wins a Super Bowl.”
Once his time at Lambeau Field came to an end, McCarthy headed to Dallas. There, McCarthy has worked with Dak Prescott. Prescott is a good quarterback, but certainly not on Rodgers’ tier.
Despite the drop off in talent at the position – and a rough first season (6-10) in which Prescott suffered a gruesome ankle fracture and dislocation in Week 5 – McCarthy has overseen some dominant times.
“With, I think it’s fair to say, the most overpaid quarterback in the league, three straight 12-win seasons. And [McCarthy] makes [Prescott] an MVP runner-up. Look at the quarterbacks in this league. You really think Dak should be an MVP runner-up?”
Prescott has been placed on injured reserve for two of the past three seasons (2022 and 2024). During those stints, McCarthy rolled with Cooper Rush at quarterback. Rush, an undrafted free agent in 2017, was never thought to be a real NFL talent. And yet, in 13 games with Rush as his starter, McCarthy has gone 9-4.
“Two separate times… they go to Cooper Rush, who both times gets on a heater… it’s hard to comprehend [he’s] 9-4 as a starter in the NFL. [4-3 this season] in front of a rebuilding offensive line with no run game.”
Cowherd added the Cowboys have scored 40-plus points 16 times under McCarthy, twice as often as Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid have in Kansas City (8). McCarthy may not have extended playoff success, but has been an excellent quarterback developer and routinely boasts quality teams. His track record, as Cowherd suggests, is worthy of top-ten status.
