Jerry Jones finally gives Bears and Cowboys clear answer on Mike McCarthy

Despite entering the 2024 season with Super Bowl aspirations, the Dallas Cowboys went 7-10, finishing in third place in the NFC East. Injuries played a massive role in the team's demise, as did Jerry Jones' quiet offseason, but still - the team's struggles made it seem as if Mike McCarthy's job was anything but safe.

Chances are, Jones would have to point his frustration somewhere following this disaster of a season, and the easiest place for him to point it would be at McCarthy. Not bringing him back would've made a lot of sense, especially with McCarthy's contract expiring at the conclusion of the regular season.

Given McCarthy's soon-to-be free agency status, the Chicago Bears reached out to the Cowboys to see if they could interview him. The Cowboys hold exclusive negotiating rights with McCarthy until Jan. 14. Their answer as to whether they'd allow the Bears to interview him or not would seemingly dictate his future.

Well, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, after a longer-than-necessary delay, the Cowboys denied Chicago's request, making it almost certain that he'll be back in Dallas for the 2025 season.

Jerry Jones all but confirms Mike McCarthy will be back with Cowboys in 2025

Declining this request tells Cowboys fans all they need to know. If the Cowboys were not fully intent on bringing McCarthy back, they would've allowed the Bears to interview him. The fact that they declined this request means that they fully expect to bring him back. A deal has not been agreed to yet, but there's no reason to believe one won't happen sometime in the very near future.

This, for Cowboys fans, has to be frustrating news. Sure, McCarthy did have three straight 12-5 seasons prior to this one, but they've won one of four playoff games in his five-year tenure. This past season was trending in the wrong direction for the team even before the injuries began to pile up.

McCarthy has had tons of regular season success throughout his 18-year career as a head coach, but he only has one Super Bowl to show for it. That Super Bowl win came back in 2010 with the Green Bay Packers. His teams have gone 6-8 in the playoffs as a whole since that Super Bowl win without a single Super Bowl appearance. For a Cowboys fanbase that hasn't seen its team in an NFC Championship Game since 1995, McCarthy's lack of playoff success, especially recently, is uninspiring.

We all know Jones is going to remain the team's GM and owner, so if McCarthy is staying put, there won't be any major changes following a catastrophic failure of a season.

For these reasons, Chicago Bears fans have to be thrilled. Would McCarthy be an upgrade over the likes of Matt Eberflus and Thomas Brown? Almost certainly, but there are many more intriguing options out there. It's unclear how interested the Bears were in McCarthy relative to their lengthy list of candidates, but it's reassuring to know they can't be convinced to bring him in.