Mike McCarthy's Cowboys future could be screwed thanks to a surprising source

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is a sitting duck. Essentially, McCarthy's future will be decided by his performance this season, in which many of his best players are also entering the final years of their contracts. It's a lose-lose situation for the 60-year-old.

Should McCarthy hold onto his job, there's a good chance one of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb or Micah Parsons will be on the outs. Despite being an oil tycoon, Jerry Jones isn't made of money. He's made that very clear this offseason by refusing to give Prescott the deal he deserves. Meanwhile, the star quarterback's price tag will only increase.

Mike McCarthy's future is far from certain with Dallas Cowboys

McCarthy's 2023 season ended in embarrassing fashion, as the Cowboys were blown out by his former team, the Green Bay Packers. Jones did not fire McCarthy then, perhaps because of the dead money on his deal. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated outlined McCarthy's future in no uncertain terms:

"A couple of folks mentioned to me there’s been a push among owners to stop paying massive dead money on coaching contracts—Josh McDaniels and Matt Rhule, for example, both had more than four years left on their deals when they were let go. Which certainly makes you wonder if that played a role with Mike McCarthy’s situation with the Dallas Cowboys, or in so many assistants being sent into contract years this fall," Breer wrote.

McDaniels was terrible in Vegas -- a job his should've never received -- and eventually replaced by Antonio Pierce. While that ought to provide a lesson to owners not to hire a Belichick disciple, instead it's keeping Jones from giving McCarthy an extension.

Cowboys need to start being honest with Mike McCarthy

There were rumors abound in Dallas that the Cowboys were interested in replacing McCarthy with, say, Bill Belichick or another proven veteran. However, those rumors never became reality, as Dallas instead saved face and money by keeping their division-winning coach around for another season.

McDaniels deal is a reason to exercise caution, of course, but Jones isn't struggling financially. He can afford his players, coaches and then some. Heck, while he's at it, maybe he should pay his cheerleaders a livable wage -- but what do I know?

The Cowboys are the most expensive franchise in sports. If Jones were to sell, he could rake in billions. Thusly, if he's not prepared to spend to keep Dallas competitive, maybe he ought to consider that option rather than making promises to another lame-duck head coach.