Insiders suggest Cowboys' Jerry Jones has made Mike McCarthy decision

The Dallas Cowboys generated headlines earlier this week when they denied the Chicago Bears' request to interview head coach Mike McCarthy. 

McCarthy remains under contract until this coming Tuesday, and it appears he could soon receive a new deal from Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones.

"At the end of the day, I believe McCarthy will be the Cowboys' head coach," NFL Media's Ian Rapoport said during a Wednesday appearance on Dallas sports radio station 105.3 The Fan, as shared by the Audacy website. Rapoport expanded on that take during the latest edition of NFL Network's "The Insiders" program that aired on Wednesday. 

"What is actually happening is they are in constant communication [Tuesday], the day before," Rapoport said about the Cowboys and McCarthy, per Blake Silverman of Sports Illustrated. "Lengthy meetings [Wednesday] McCarthy had with [Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones] and Jerry Jones to my understanding, really trying to figure out where the organization goes from here and how they move forward. Now, if you're not going to bring back Mike McCarthy, you're not going to have those meetings, right, and you wouldn't turn down the Bears' request."

Rapoport added that McCarthy and the Cowboys "want to be together, but they're just not there yet" regarding the length of a new deal. During the 105.3 The Fan spot, Rapoport suggested McCarthy would want more than two years attached to his next contract. 

McCarthy guided the Cowboys to just one playoff win over five campaigns, but his teams went 12-5 each season from 2021-23 before a noteworthy injury crisis impacted the club this past fall. 

While some linked the Cowboys with current North Carolina Tar Heels coach Bill Belichick from as far back as during the 2023 season through December 2024, it was reported on Wednesday that Belichick has "no plans to return to the NFL" and is focused "on coaching and recruiting for North Carolina" this winter. 

"People I've talked to in Dallas believe McCarthy is more likely to stay in Dallas than leave, but both sides need to be sure, and they have less than a week to figure it out," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler revealed in a piece published Thursday. "McCarthy has leverage and options." 

Last week, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk speculated that Jones could leak news about McCarthy's future during one of the wild-card playoff games held this weekend. It seems that's a realistic possibility assuming the two sides can come to terms on an agreement before Saturday afternoon rolls around.