The way Jerry Jones is handling Mike McCarthy’s expiring contract has Jason Garrett writing all over it. His refusal to part ways with a coach who has reached their peak with the team is an all too familiar feeling Cowboys fans are groveling in.
Jones has been mum about what he’s going to do about the current coach or any future coaches. He’s been so quiet, it took him a day to deny an interview request from the Chicago Bears.
But with each day that passes with no new news or no statement from Jones one way or the other, it feels like he’s getting closer to working out a deal to bring McCarthy back, despite a less than satisfactory season.
That's exactly what happened when Jones refused to fire Garrett after the 2017 season. He was then let go when his contract expired after the 2019 season.
Jerry Jones is going to make the same mistake he did in not firing Jason Garrett with retaining Mike McCarthy
Jones is making this decision harder than it needs to be. The only reason it would make sense for him to retain McCarthy for another contract is because he truly doesn’t like any of the potential coaching prospects.
Which is a fair point, but don’t be mad when nothing changes. McCarthy has already showed how good the team will be under his “direction” – we all know Jones is the ringleader.
This team won’t be better than 12-5 and won’t win more than one playoff game in a season. That’s what Jones is accepting by bringing McCarthy back. And however long McCarthy’s contract is, he’s likely to let him coach through his contract before making a decision.
Cowboys fans deserve better than mediocrity. They’ve settled for mediocrity for nearly 30 years. Jones won’t get out of his own way and it’s hurting Dallas championship aspirations.
When Jimmy Johnson recused himself from the organization, it was because he saw the path the Cowboys were headed with Jones in the way. Now we all see why the Cowboys haven’t been back to the Super Bowl since last winning in 1995.
And it’s clear regardless of who the coach is, until Jones starts running his team with organizational structure rather than like a business with no checks and balances, they’ll never be as good as they should.
Jones probably doesn’t like this crop of coaches because he won’t be able to control them like he can McCarthy. He knows he’ll have to take a backseat to get a coach that will get this team competitive in the playoffs.
And being at the forefront is more important to Jones than giving up responsibility. So yeah, Jones is going to make the same mistake with McCarthy like he did with Garrett.
Not because continuity is the goal, but because control is. And McCarthy won’t separate the locker room and ownership like some other coaches would. Which is exactly what this team needs.