Jerry Jones drops hint about Mike McCarthy's future with Cowboys

With just four weeks remaining in the 2023 NFL season, it's only a matter of time before the Dallas Cowboys, who sit atop the NFC East and are tied for the best record in the league, officially punch their ticket to the NFL Playoffs.

And when they do so, Mike McCarthy will become the first Cowboys head coach in over a quarter-century to lead America's Team to the playoffs in three consecutive seasons.

For those wondering, the last to do so was Barry Switzer, who took Dallas to the postseason from 1994-1996, the middle season culminating in the franchise's fifth and most recent Super Bowl victory.

While it remains to be seen if McCarthy can bring a sixth Lombardi Trophy to Big D, he's certainly put his team in that position, a position many thought may not be possible when he elected to take over play-calling duties ahead of this season after letting Kellen Moore leave for the LA Chargers.

But the decision has obviously worked out, and this is the type of team Jerry Jones likely envisioned when he hired McCarthy ahead of the 2020 campaign.

With that said, however, is Jones ready to offer a contract extension to McCarthy, who only has one season remaining on his current deal?

Jerry Jones comments on Mike McCarthy's future with the Dallas Cowboys

In a recent interview with NFL.com, Jones was asked if he plans to offer an extension to McCarthy given the Cowboys' success this season. And while he didn't give a definitive answer, the indication seemed to sway toward the affirmative.

"That'll have a course that seeks its own time frame," said Jones. "I don't do anything of that sort until the season is over."

The longtime Dallas owner was also asked if he was surprised by how the team has performed in 2023.

"No. No," Jones said. "What you're seeing is the result of a lot of repetition, a lot of practices, not only in training camp but through the early part of the year, and so everybody's executing better. And then adjustments have been made and the nuances of the offense -- everything from blocking to coordination with receivers in Dak's case."

Dak Prescott, of course, has thrived in McCarthy's offense. On pace for career-highs in several statistical categories, the eighth-year signal-caller has completed 69.3% of his passes for 3,505 yards with a league-leading 28 touchdowns against just six interceptions through 13 games.

Overall, Dallas leads the league in scoring with 32.4 points per game and ranks fourth in average yards per game at 381.5. So, again, McCarthy's decision to run the offense has clearly worked out.

However, if the Cowboys fail to reach the Super Bowl -- or even the NFC Championship Game, for that matter -- will Jones still see this season as a success? And will that factor into his decision on whether to give McCarthy an extension?

We'll find out soon enough.