5 Cowboys Who Won't Be Back if Dallas Doesn't Win the NFC

1. Mike McCarthy, Head Coach

Now in his fourth season with the Cowboys, McCarthy has been very successful -- in the regular season. With an 8-3 start to the 2023 campaign, McCarthy is now 38-23 for Dallas including back-to-back 12-5 seasons in 2021 and 2022. This past year was the most impressive as he kept his team winning even when Dak Prescott was out for five games.

Given his record, McCarthy shouldn't be on the hot seat and while Jerry Jones has exercised patience in the past, he's also been guilty of over-correcting when he makes a mistake. Following the departure of Jimmy Johnson in the 1990s, Jones proved to have a short fuse with coaches. He later expressed remorse in his quick trigger finger, which is partially to blame for the incredibly long leash he gave Jason Garrett.

Despite years of mediocrity and falling short of expectations, Jones hung onto Garrett. He would even bash the coach for being unable to win with backup quarterbacks but then kept him around, clearly not wanting to pull the trigger too quickly. Perhaps this time, he does the opposite and moves on from McCarthy if they don't at least get to the NFC title game.

It's hard to say this would be the right move, especially considering how well McCarthy has the offense playing. But it's still a huge possibility for a team that wants to return to glory in the worst way.

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