Mike McCarthy steps down as Cowboys coach after contract talks break down

It’s over between Mike McCarthy and the Cowboys.

The two sides were unable to reach an agreement on a long-term contract and he will move on to other positions, NFL Network reports.

Both the Bears and Saints had interest in interviewing McCarthy, but Dallas initially rebuffed Chicago while the head coach was still under contract.

The Saints have not officially requested an interview, but are expected to do so now.

During five seasons in charge of Dallas, McCarthy’s Cowboys amassed a record of 49-35.

The franchise reached the playoffs in 2021, ’22 and ’23, but only has one playoff victory to show for those efforts – a 31-14 drubbing of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022.

The Cowboys went 12-5 in each of those three seasons before the disastrous 2024 campaign, which saw the team finish with a 7-10 record.

Riddled with injuries at nearly every position group, 2024 marked Dallas’ worst campaign since 2020, McCarthy’s first at the helm, when the team won just six games.

Before leading the Cowboys, McCarthy was the head coach in Green Bay for 13 seasons – winning a career-high 13 games with Aaron Rodgers under center in 2007 and then Super Bowl XLV in 2011.

McCarthy got his start in the NFL as an offensive coordinator with the New Orleans Saints from 2000 to 2004. After that, he transferred to San Francisco and served in the same position for one season, in 2005.

In Dallas, where he was hired as head coach some 15 years later, McCarthy’s final season was mired by a flawless championship tenure and creeping doubts about his job security if he failed. .

Expectations have never been higher than in 2024, and most of that pressure has landed on the shoulders of quarterback Dak Prescott, who played in just eight games before being shut down due to a partial hamstring tear, and the man behind the bench.

Because as impressive as McCarthy’s record is to date – 42-25; only Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs had more wins in the previous three regular seasons – a deep playoff run was imperative for the coach to convince owner Jerry Jones to extend his contract beyond 2024-25 .

McCarthy, however, hardly had the chance.

The injuries began to pile up as early as Week 5 when Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence were both sidelined during a win against the Giants at MetLife Stadium.

By the time Prescott went down in Week 9, the Cowboys had dug themselves into a 3-5 hole.

Dallas won four of its final seven games to close the regular season at 7-10, but Jones had seen enough.

Out with the old, in with the new.