Insider gives Cowboys fans PTSD with possible Mike McCarthy outcome
By Austen Bundy
Fans of the Dallas Cowboys have been asking themselves if things will ever get better under head coach Mike McCarthy -- or if a change at the helm will finally come.
NFL insider Ed Werder suggested to a fan on X/Twitter that history could repeat itself in Jerry World this season.
He succeeded once on expiring contract and earned extension and fired after the second time he coached into final season. Then McCarthy hired. https://t.co/kUUtDMdT3r
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) September 1, 2024
Citing the fate of the previous regime, Werder suggests that even if McCarthy doesn't bring the Lombardi back to Dallas, his time as head coach may not be over just yet.
Mike McCarthy could be next Jason Garrett for Cowboys, which pleases zero fans
Before McCarthy was hired in 2020, then-head coach Jason Garrett went through a similar tenure where he needed to deliver some semblance of progression and results in his final season.
In 2014, Garrett delivered a 12-4 record and the NFC East crown to owner Jerry Jones. Despite a heartbreaking playoff exit in the Divisional round, Jones had seen enough to hand Garrett an extension.
Garrett again had to deliver results to save his career in 2019 but an 8-8 record and no playoff appearance was the last straw for Jones this time. McCarthy was hired two days after Garrett was let go.
The 60-year-old McCarthy, who won Super Bowl XLV with the Green Bay Packers, is facing the exact same scenario as Garrett did in 2014. However, will he deliver enough success to convince Jones to extend him and give him a few more years to get the job done?
Jones and the Cowboys released a statement in January expressing confidence in McCarthy, fully believing they were "very close and capable of achieving our ultimate goals." How much of that confidence will still remain after this year is still a mystery but one would have to think Garrett's 12-4, NFC East-winning mark has to be the bar at least.
That's going to be very tough when the Philadelphia Eagles got stronger in the offseason, adding running back Saquon Barkley and first-round receiver Jahan Dotson to its ranks. The New York Giants shouldn't be a threat but the new-look Washington Commanders with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels could play spoiler.
Regardless, fans just want one thing from this season: A championship. Anything less and they'll go back to calling for McCarthy's head.
But if Werder's right, it's Groundhog Day... again.
feed