6 Cowboys Who Won't Be Back in 2025

5. Mike Zimmer

What a disappointment the hiring of Mike Zimmer has been. Cowboys fans were overjoyed when the team brought back their former defensive coordinator to replace Dan Quinn. Zimmer had solid seasons as the head coach in Minnesota but spent the previous two seasons away from the NFL. The 68-year-old coach was supposed to be one of the most experienced and capable defensive minds in the league.

That hasn't proven to be the case so far. The Cowboys defense has taken a massive step back this year. The unit that has been a top-seven defensive group in the league for the previous three seasons is now ranking as the second-worst in the NFL. Only one team allows more points per game than the Cowboys through the first half of the season.

The lack of defensive playmaking has been apparent. Last season, the Cowboys had 17 interceptions, 14 forced fumbles, and 46 sacks. There has been a serious downturn in all of those metrics. In eight games, the team has only four interceptions, seven forced fumbles, and 18 sacks. The elite ballhawking of the 2023 Cowboys is nowhere to be seen.

The team has obviously dealt with injuries to key starters but that is life in the NFL. Every team goes through that and the ones that can survive those periods end up being consistent winners in the long run. Mike Zimmer has failed miserably in keeping this defense afloat and it's hard to see him return next year unless things change dramatically over the next couple of weeks.

6. Mike McCarthy

If it's hard to see Zimmer come back for the 2025 season, it's almost impossible to imagine McCarthy being on the sidelines in Cowboys gear next season.

McCarthy's calling card for years has been proven regular-season winners. His postseason failures were well known but at least he was able to put together teams that dominated in the regular season. This year, that has not been the case, putting his job in serious jeopardy.

The experienced head coach is in the final year of his contract. The team started the season with Super Bowl aspirations and now look like a safe bet to miss the postseason altogether. Considering that this is precisely why Jerry Jones didn't give him a contract extension before the season, McCarthy is as good as gone after this year.

More Cowboys news and rumors: