Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is not in danger of losing his job heading into 2022. We know this because his boss has finally come out and said as much.
Jerry Jones addressed the questions about McCarthy’s future during a Friday appearance on 105.3 The Fan. He insisted the coach’s job was never in jeopardy and said McCarthy was working with the team to try to keep defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. Jones said it was part of his strategy to not come out and say McCarthy would be back in 2022.
Quinn informed teams this week that he removed his name from consideration for head coaching jobs. It’s unclear exactly how the two things are connected. Either way, Jones said he never considered McCarthy’s future in Dallas to be “wishy washy.”
Some have speculated that there could be even more pressure on McCarthy now that Sean Payton stepped down as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints. Payton is planning to take at least a year off, but he was an assistant coach with the Cowboys before he was hired by the Saints. He has a strong relationship with Jones. As expected, Jones dodged those questions.
There is little doubt that Jones would be open to hiring Payton in 2023 if things don’t work out with McCarthy next season. Jones would obviously prefer for the Cowboys to have better results under McCarthy so he doesn’t feel the need to make a change.
Jones was asked about McCarthy’s job status last week, and his response seemed quite telling. While McCarthy is going to return as the head coach in Dallas next season, he obviously has to makes Jones and Cowboys fans forget the brutal way 2021 ended. If he can’t do that, Jones will probably make a change.
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