Mike McCarthy doesn’t sound like a man committed to Cowboys future

After a Monday night loss to the Houston Texas last month, it seemed like the Dallas Cowboys had hit rock bottom. They had just lost their fifth straight game, lost their $240 million quarterback and frankly, had no answers for the future. 

The Cowboys then rattled off four wins in the last six games. What originally looked like Mike McCarthy's last season on the job quickly changed course to Jerry Jones possibly keeping him around, as McCarthy made the most with what he had. 

But a question everyone seems to be forgetting to ask is whether McCarthy really wants to go back to Dallas. It’s one of the hardest jobs to have — not just because you’re coaching America’s Team. But because you have one of the most overbearing owners across any major sport breathing down your neck. 

And when you put it like that, it makes sense why McCarthy could be doubting whether he wants to return to Dallas and endure more torture from an owner who takes no responsibility and throws everyone around him under the bus. 

Mike McCarthy has to decide what’s more important for him as his future in Dallas looms

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, McCarthy was non-committal on a return to Arlington after this season. 

"I need to make sure I'm doing exactly what I'm asking everybody else to do, we need to finish the race,” Rapoport posted to his X platform account, formerly Twitter. McCarthy added, "We'll have time to talk about that next week."

On one hand, it makes sense that McCarthy isn’t jumping all in on the Cowboys just yet. It’s not like he’s had a glamorous tenure since taking over in 2020. Sure, he had three-consecutive 12-win seasons and two division titles — but all that regular seaon success has translated to just one playoff win. 

He has to put up with more than most NFL coaches. It’s not a glamorous job. Jones does what he wants with no say from anyone or heads up to anyone. It has to be equally annoying and rewarding walking down the sidelines at AT&T Stadium. 

When Jones hired McCarthy, it was supposed to bring playoff success and even a championship. Instead, this season brought more turmoil and stained what had been an otherwise decent five seasons in Dallas. 

McCarthy has a lot to think about now that the Cowboys will officially begin their offseason on Jan. 6. He has to decide if putting up with Jones is worth it for at least one more year. He has to decide if he’s the best person to lead the Cowboys to a Super Bowl they haven’t appeared in since 1995. 

Either way, at least he didn’t give up whether he was forced out or let on his own will. The Cowboys managed to end the season better than it started and even when they found out minutes before the kickoff they found out they were eliminated from the playoffs, they played their best game of the season. 

To whoever coaches the Dallas Cowboys next season, use this season as a reminder of how hard it is to deal with Jones. When things are good, they’re good. But when they get bad, you’ll be isolated on your own.