Analyst links Cowboys with top coaching candidate to replace Mike McCarthy

Even before Bill Belichick surprisingly became the next head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels, Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones dropped hints that suggested he could hold onto head coach Mike McCarthy through at least the start of next season. 

For a piece published Thursday, ESPN's Bill Barnwell argued that Jones should let McCarthy's contract expire at the end of the ongoing campaign and then sign Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to a five-year contract worth $125M to be Dallas' next head coach.

"(Wide receiver) Amon-Ra St. Brown was a fourth-round pick," Barnwell said about Johnson's time with the Lions. "David Montgomery was a running back who had averaged fewer than 4.0 yards per carry in his four seasons with Chicago. Wideouts Josh Reynolds and Kalif Raymond were cut by Tennessee. And Jared Goff, now an MVP candidate, had essentially been benched for John Wolford in a playoff game and was salary ballast in the Matthew Stafford trade. They've all gotten better under Johnson."

Goff becoming a top-tier quarterback since the second half of the 2022 campaign is one reason Johnson is expected to be a highly coveted coaching candidate for the second consecutive offseason. According to Pro Football Reference, Goff began Thursday ranked 12th in the NFL among qualified players with a 63.6 adjusted QBR, second with a 109.1 passer rating, eighth with 3,265 passing yards and fifth with 25 touchdowns through the air. 

Most importantly, as it pertains to Johnson's future, the Lions are 12-1 heading into this Sunday's home game versus the 10-3 Buffalo Bills. As of Thursday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Detroit as the betting favorite at +265 odds to win Super Bowl LIX.

"McCarthy modernized his offense when he was hired, but some of his changes were fleeting; the Cowboys are back down to 29th in motion rate at the snap this season, as an example," Barnwell said while explaining why Jones should go in a different direction with Dallas at 5-8. "...He isn't a bad coach, but he's not making the team drastically better in 2025. There is someone out there who can do that."

A report from earlier this week said that Johnson will want "organizational alignment and recognition from a team of its mistakes with a willingness to fix them" before he accepts a head-coaching job this winter. It remains to be seen if Jones will be willing to sell himself and his vision for the Cowboys to a coaching candidate after Week 18.