Cowboys deny Bears’ request for permission to interview Mike McCarthy

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has said that soon-to-be-free-agent coach Mike McCarthy is free to “go talk” with other teams.

Jones left out the part that he won’t let other teams talk to McCarthy.

Via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, the Cowboys have denied the Bears’ request for permission to interview McCarthy.

McCarthy’s contract expires on January 14. At that point, the Cowboys cannot prevent him from interviewing with other teams. And that’s only a week away. Still, until January 14, the Cowboys can deny McCarthy the ability to talk to other teams.

It’s unclear whether that means the Cowboys will be giving McCarthy a new contract, or whether they intend to take full advantage of their exclusive negotiation rights with McCarthy.

However it plays out, here’s one prediction we’ll make — the team will leak or announce word of McCarthy’s future during Sunday’s Packers-Eagles wild-card playoff game.