Cowboys fans may not like latest update on Mike McCarthy's job security

After the Dallas Cowboys were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention in Week 16, the national focus shifted to assessing the franchise’s direction and performance moving forward. 

The spotlight is now directly on head coach Mike McCarthy, who entered the 2024 season on an expiring contract — a rarity for established NFL coaches. Speculation regarding McCarthy’s future in Dallas has lingered since the team’s 2023 campaign ended with another devastating loss in the NFC Wild Card Round. 

Although Cowboys owner Jerry Jones ultimately decided to retain McCarthy, he did so without signing the coach to a contract extension. It was widely believed that McCarthy would have to put together a deep postseason run to avoid being ousted after the 2024 season.

Mike McCarthy expected to remain Cowboys coach in 2025

During a recent episode of “The Scoop City” podcast, The Athletic’s Diana Russini suggested that McCarthy’s tenure with the Cowboys may not be over just yet.

“I have spoken to people around the league who believe that Mike McCarthy will be safe,” Russini said.

Although that postseason run never happened, much of the blame for this season’s shortcomings has shifted away from McCarthy. During the offseason, Dallas sat idly by while several of their starters and key contributors signed with other teams in free agency. Meanwhile, contract negotiations for quarterback Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb dragged on throughout the preseason, leading to training camp absences and unnecessary distractions.

McCarthy led the team to three consecutive 12-win seasons over the past three years, but he was left with a depleted and distracted roster. To make matters worse, injuries ravaged the team throughout the season. Several integral offensive and defensive players were among the 13 players who landed on the injured reserve list with season-ending injuries. 

If McCarthy manages to remain with the team for another season, it will likely still be with the caveat that he needs to produce in the playoffs. Throughout his 18-year head coaching career, McCarthy has struggled to replicate his regular season success in the playoffs. He has led his teams to a playoff berth 12 times while posting an impressive 174-110-2 record (.612) in the regular season, but he has an 11-11 record (.500) in the playoffs.