The Dallas Cowboys have a limited amount of time to decide whether Mike McCarthy will return as head coach in 2025.
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According to NFL insiders Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport, sources say that McCarthy's contract expires on Jan. 14. This is a mere nine days after the season finale against the Washington Commanders.
What does this mean? The Cowboys have until Jan. 14 to exclusively negotiate with McCarthy. Other teams can request interviews, but the team can decide whether to allow these interviews to take place.
Once the calendar turns to Jan. 14, the Super Bowl-winning head coach will essentially be a free agent. He can interview with any team and can accept any job. As the NFL insiders noted, the expectation is that McCarthy will have interest if he does not return to the Cowboys.
Rapoport and Pelissero specifically noted that McCarthy has connections to Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis after previously working under him as an offensive coordinator in 2000-04.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has addressed McCarthy's future with the team multiple times this season without indicating what he will do after Jan. 5. Jones highlighted how the team rallied under McCarthy despite being eliminated from playoff contention, but he didn't say whether this would lead to a new contract.
"All I can say is what a good job, how good a job he's doing," Jones said after a Dec. 23 win over the Buccaneers, per The Associated Press. "Don't have thoughts that I would share as to anything about what we do ... after we're through playing this year."
McCarthy has been the head coach of the Cowboys since the 2020 season. He has led the team to an overall record of 49-34 and three playoff appearances after three consecutive 12-win seasons. America's Team has gone 1-3 in the playoffs under McCarthy's leadership.
This season has been one of struggles for the Cowboys, especially on offense.
Quarterback Dak Prescott has been on Injured Reserve since Nov. 18. Top wide receiver CeeDee Lamb spent the majority of the season playing through a shoulder injury before the team decided to shut him down on Dec. 26. Wide receiver Brandin Cooks has only appeared in nine games due to multiple procedures on his knee.
Despite dealing with these injuries — and many others — the Cowboys are 7-9 after 16 games with an opportunity to reach eight wins against the Commanders. Whether this has an impact on McCarthy's future remains to be seen, but the Cowboys will have a quick turnaround after the regular-season finale.
