Mike McCarthy Suddenly Gets Surprise Leverage Over Cowboys on Monday
By Joe Summers
The Cowboys' Mike McCarthy saga took an interesting turn on Monday, and McCarthy might now have his first real piece of leverage over Jerry Jones and Dallas' brass.
It's not yet clear whether Jones intends to offer McCarthy another contract. The veteran coach's current deal expires on January 14, at which point he can interview with any team. However, the Chicago Bears made a proactive step, requesting permission to interview McCarthy for their vacancy prior to the January 14 expiration.
They're reportedly waiting for Dallas' response, though Jones' previous comments seemed to indicate he wouldn't block McCarthy from interviewing if a situation like this arose.
Bears Request Permission to Interview Mike McCarthy
Chicago Bears have sought permission to interview Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy and are awaiting a response from Dallas, sources tell me and @toddarcher.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 6, 2025
If the Cowboys don’t allow permission this week, the Bears could interview McCarthy after his exclusive negotiating window… pic.twitter.com/zoS7vHO5mF
Whether Jones wants to keep McCarthy or not, it's possible the Super Bowl-winning head coach would view the Bears as a better job. Caleb Williams is on his rookie deal and considerably younger than Dak Prescott and given Jones' deficiencies as a general manager, McCarthy may want to see if the grass is greener on the other side.
Of course, Chicago was worse than Dallas this year even when Cooper Rush was under center, clearly suggesting organizational issues there as well. McCarthy is 49-35 in his five seasons with the Cowboys but hasn't experienced true playoff success. Perhaps a fresh start is best for all sides.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has not made a decision on the future of the team’s head coaching position. When asked about the possibility of other team’s wanting to interview Mike McCarthy, Jones said he’s fine with that. He said he wants to work with people who want to be here.…
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) January 5, 2025
McCarthy was linked to the Bears last week, though this is the first report of an actual interview request. Jones said he'd be fine with McCarthy interviewing, yet he likely realizes this could make negotiations more difficult.
Other candidates like Ben Johnson and Mike Vrabel could have a leg up on McCarthy but he has a chance to wow Chicago in interviews. At the least, the Bears being the first team to make a public declaration that they want to meet with him is a chip in McCarthy's favor.
We saw Jones wait too long in negotiations with CeeDee Lamb and Prescott. If he's not careful, he could repeat the same mistake with McCarthy. Some fans might be happy about that, yet the final decision is in Jones' hands as always.
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