When America’s team lost yet another playoff game, fans and pundits alike were expecting a full teardown of the Cowboys’ roster. Dak Prescott gone, Mike McCarthy gone. But, no. Jerry Jones surprised everyone when he announced that the Cowboys would be retaining McCarthy. But all is not as it seems.
Advertisement
The Cowboys may be retaining McCarthy, but according to reports, they have not offered him a contract extension, which means he will be entering the final year of his contract in 2024. Not only will he have pressure to prove himself once and for all as a coach who does not choke in the playoffs, but he’ll also have to prove it to earn his keep.
Mike McCarthy is not expected to receive any sort of extension from the Dallas Cowboys and will coach the 2024 season on an expiring contract, per sources.https://t.co/ZuMnR1vPVh
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 20, 2024
According to Celebrity Net Worth, McCarthy is worth an impressive $9 million. While the exact details of his contract with the Cowboys are a mystery, he is believed to be earning $4 million to $7 million per year. With no extension for the HC offered alongside Jerry Jones’ faith in him, he will have to work extra hard next season to bag that fresh contract.
The stunning loss against the Packers in the Wild Card round makes the Cowboys the only team in NFL history to win 12 games in three consecutive seasons and fail to make it to the conference championship in any of them. The noise of firing McCarthy, which was only a slight buzz all season suddenly became so loud, that it should’ve reached Jerry Jones. But he chose to ignore it anyway.
Jerry Jones Shows Faith in Mike McCarthy
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones surprised the entire NFL world when he announced that he would be retaining Mike McCarthy as head coach of the Cowboys. Sure, it’s not easy to let go of a coach with three straight 12-5 regular seasons. And coupled with the news of the contract extension, this makes a little more sense than it did a few days ago. Jones wants McCarthy to prove his worth for that next contract.
This just in: Dallas is not making a head-coaching change and Cowboys’ HC Mike McCarthy is returning for the 2024 season, per sources. pic.twitter.com/GHMJuqdxaT
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 18, 2024
McCarthy signed a five-year deal with the Cowboys in 2020 and with no word of any kind of extension being agreed to, the words “go big or go home” have never been more relevant. The Cowboys have made it to the playoffs for three seasons in a row. While impressive, it is perhaps not enough for America’s team, since they have no Super Bowl to show for it. Ultimately, next season, McCarthy’s fate will be decided by the postseason.
He has lost in the first round of the playoffs twice, both at AT&T Stadium. Will he be able to move past the playoff choke next year? Will the dangling prospect of having contract security at the end of a successful postseason run finally propel McCarthy to produce the same magic as that one season with the Packers? Or are we going to watch a repeat of the past three seasons, but with a guarantee this time that McCarthy will be done once and for all?
