Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones Reveals Why They Aren’t Firing Mike McCarthy

Following approximately 72 hours of agonizing among Dallas Cowboys supporters over whether to keep head coach Mike McCarthy after the second-seeded Cowboys’ 48-32 loss to the seventh-seeded Green Bay Packers on Sunday, general manager and team owner Jerry Jones made a choice on Wednesday night.

Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones Reveals Why They Aren’t Firing Mike McCarthy

In 2020, the Dallas Cowboys hired head coach Mike McCarthy with the goal of doing what his predecessor Jason Garrett had not: getting over the postseason plateau.

McCarthy has not, four years later.

Despite having a great team, he has failed to lead them to either the NFC title game or the Super Bowl—events that the team has missed for more than 28 years.

Out of the six wild-card hosts, the Cowboys were the only club to lose for the second time in three years. It was simply an insult to injury that they fell to McCarthy’s old Green Bay Packers.

Therefore, to speculate about whether Jones thought his skill was untapped and whether the Cowboys would take McCarthy’s place was to ask whether that was the case.

McCarthy’s hiring was announced, and in the statement he released, he expressed his belief that his club is “very close and and capable of achieving our ultimate goals and the best step forward for us will be with Mike McCarthy as our head coach.”

Although there are arguments on both sides, Jones’ choice to retain McCarthy as his head coach following his most recent playoff departure before the conference championship round is undoubtedly divisive.

McCarthy’s NFL career will resume in 2024. Dallas made the decision to try again with the coach who has brought three straight 12-5 seasons to the city, despite another terrible finish to the season.

“I believe this team is very close and capable of achieving our ultimate goals and the best step forward for us will be with Mike McCarthy as our head coach,” Jones said in a statement. “There is great benefit to continuing the team’s progress under Mike’s leadership as our head coach.”

Given how the season transpired and Dallas’ humiliating loss to Green Bay, it had been inevitable that McCarthy would be fired. But Jones isn’t holding the head coach responsible for the defeat.

“Our loss on Sunday is shared by everyone here, not just Coach McCarthy,” Jones said. “Our players. Our coaches. Our front office. Myself. There is accountability for our results. I am accountable for our results. The lens we use to view and evaluate Coach McCarthy is holistic. While we’re all disappointed with the result on Sunday and with our playoff record, I am 100 percent supportive of him as our head coach and ability to reach our goals.”

“There are many layers of success that have occurred this season as a result of Mike’s approach to leading the team, both with individual players and with our team collectively,” Jones said in his statement. “Mike has the highest regular-season winning percentage of any head coach in Cowboys history and we will dedicate ourselves, in partnership with him, to translating that into reaching our postseason goals. Certainly, Mike’s career has demonstrated postseason success at a high level, and we have great confidence that can continue.”

“There is accountability for our results,” Jones said, as if in defense against the criticism he regularly takes for presiding as both team owner and general manager. “I am accountable for our results.

“We will start our process of review and decision-making regarding everything that impacts our team and roster.”

The most valuable and significant player on the Cowboys roster—according to Jones’ own admissions—openly backed this choice on Sunday. Whether Dak Prescott truly believes in humility or was just adopting it, his backing of McCarthy was significant during the team’s defeat.

“He’s been amazing,” Prescott said Sunday night. “I’ve had the season that I’ve had because of him. This team has had the success that they’ve had because of him. I understand it’s about winning the Super Bowl. That’s the standard of the league and damn sure the standard of this place.

Mike McCarthy’s record with the Cowboys

Season Record
2020 6-10
2021 12-5
2022 12-5
2023 12-5

Mike McCarthy’s playoff record with the Cowboys

Season Round Result
2021 Wild Card 49ers 23, Cowboys 17
2022 Wild Card Cowboys 31, Buccaneers 14
2022 Divisional 49ers 19, Cowboys 12
2023 Wild Card Packers 48, Cowboys 32

Why did the Cowboys keep McCarthy?

The offense’s growth during McCarthy’s first season calling plays for Dallas is the main argument in favor of keeping McCarthy on the bench. Dak Prescott’s play went completely the other way, as the Cowboys ended up leading the league in scoring offense (29.9 points per game).

How many years has Mike McCarthy coached the Cowboys?

The next season will mark McCarthy’s fifth season with the Cowboys and his final year under ‘America’s Team.’ In his four years as the Cowboys’ head coach, he had a 42-25 record, including three seasons in a row with 12 wins.

Did Mike McCarthy win a Super Bowl?

He was the Green Bay Packers’ fifth-year player when he won Super Bowl XLV in 2010. Since he is in the last year of his contract, there is no guarantee that he will return to the Cowboys as head coach in 2025 when he begins his fifth season in 2024. “I believe that the direction, the leadership, everything is in place,” McCarthy stated.

What was Jerry Jones famous for?

He is the only man in NFL history to have won a Super Bowl and play for a college football team that won a national title. Furthermore, only two men—Jones and the late George Halas—have gone on to become owners of NFL teams after participating in a significant college football bowl game.

 

 

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