Jerry Jones has telling quote about Mike McCarthy’s status as coach

Mike McCarthy appears poised to remain head coach of the Dallas Cowboys for the 2022 season. However, it certainly does not sound like he should feel particularly secure in the position.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones did not give a particularly strong endorsement of McCarthy in a Friday appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. Jones seemed to suggest that the things the Cowboys need to fix should have been dealt with sooner, and more or less said that if he felt there was a better option than McCarthy available, he would make a change.

“If I thought changing out men at any level would improve us, I would change it out,” Jones said, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “I see a lot of names, a lot of great names, a lot of great names from colleges. I see them coming through. I’ve seen a lot of great names at various duties in the NFL come and go over the last 30 years. I haven’t seen but a couple of them that I thought might have a straight shot in at what’s up above. That’s (Bill) Belichick up there in New England, his record has been unbelievable.

“But aside from that, I’ll be very candid with you. I see human beings, human frailties, human work ethic, human excelling and coming up with a way to go.”

That is not exactly a vote of confidence in McCarthy to say the least. Jones’ standards are high, which may be saving the coach right now, but it’s certainly clear that Jones is not totally satisfied with the job McCarthy did this year. Some of McCarthy’s comments after Sunday’s playoff loss probably haven’t helped, either.

Stephen Jones has been firm that McCarthy will return in 2022. That may still be true, but it sounds like the coach will be on the hot seat from day one of training camp.