Mike McCarthy is set to leave his position as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys after failing to agree a new contract with the team, according to reports.
McCarthy was expected to stay on for the 2025 season and talks with Jerry Jones were well underway, but it is now being reported he has failed to agree terms.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, McCarthy is now out after the two sides couldn’t agree on a length of contract, and the head coach will now pursue other opportunities elsewhere.
The shocking news comes just days after McCarthy and owner Jerry Jones were looking ahead to the future and ‘remained open’ to working together.
McCarthy’s current deal is set to expire on Tuesday, and Jones did not immediately commit to him for 2025 after a 7-10 season that saw the Cowboys miss the playoffs.
Dallas had previously rejected the Chicago Bears’ request to interview McCarthy for their vacant head coaching position, and it is now expected that he will speak to them in the coming days.
The New Orleans Saints are also likely to be interested in McCarthy, and he is being tipped to make a head coaching return in 2025.
McCarthy went 49-35 in five seasons with Dallas and never reached the NFC Championship game in that span.
He was, however, hampered by injuries to star quarterback Dak Prescott for long stretches in two separate seasons, as the passer played just eight games this year after suffering a season-ending hamstring injury.
McCarthy, who led the Packers to a Super Bowl win previously, led the Cowboys to a 12-5 record last year (before his team was beaten 48-32 at home in the Wild Card round by Green Bay).
Asked earlier this week to state his case to remain as the Cowboys’ coach, McCarthy called himself a ‘winner.’
‘I don’t like to talk about myself that way, but I’ll just be clear: I’m a winner,’ he told reporters. ‘I know how to win. I’ve won a championship. I won a championship in this building. And that’s who I am. We’ll see where it goes.’
According to the team’s official website, his 59 percent win percentage with Dallas is fourth in team history among head coaches.
