Packers have everything to do with Mike McCarthy's contract, or lack thereof

If there's one thing that head coaches in any sport don't like, it's coaching on an expiring deal. Coaching on an expiring deal makes them a very easy scapegoat if the upcoming season doesn't go to plan, which, of course, is not ideal.

With that in mind, it's not super common to see coaches begin a season on a one-year deal. We even saw Oli Marmol, an unproven MLB manager who was coming off of a brutal season, get an extension over the offseason to avoid having him be portrayed as a "lame duck."

As Dallas Cowboys fans know too well, though, Jerry Jones is different. He beats to his own drum, often to the detriment of his own team. He has his head coach, Mike McCarthy, coaching with one year left and no extension coming. It turns out, Jones has one clear reason for this, and it involves McCarthy's old team, the Green Bay Packers.

Embarrassing Packers loss explains Mike McCarthy's contract status

When asked about why McCarthy didn't receive an extension, Jones cited Dallas' loss to the Packers in last year's Wild Card Round multiple times. If we're being completely honest, it's hard to blame him.

The Cowboys looked like one of, if not the best teams in the NFL for most of last season, and had the No. 2 seed in the NFC heading into the postseason. They hosted the No. 7 seeded Green Bay Packers at Jerry's World. There aren't any "gimmes" in the postseason, but it felt as if the loaded Cowboys had a massive advantage over the young and unproven Packers.

As it turns out, Dallas never stood much of a chance from the jump. Green Bay took a commanding 27-0 lead late in the second quarter of that game and led by as many as 32 points in the fourth quarter. The Cowboys scored a couple of late-game touchdowns to only lose by 16 points, but the Packers obliterated them.

Despite going 12-5 in three straight regular seasons, the Cowboys are now 1-3 in the postseason under McCarthy with last year's loss being the most embarrassing one. It's understandable for Jones to need to see some success when it counts for McCarthy to earn an extension. In fact, an argument could easily be made that McCarthy should've been fired after the Green Bay defeat.

With that being said, though, it would've been nice for McCarthy if Jones gave him more to work with. The Cowboys had an extremely disappointing offseason, especially after a loss like that, and it feels as if vibes are lower than they usually are before a Cowboys season. Hopefully, at the very least, Jones can get something done with CeeDee Lamb to give McCarthy a better shot at winning enough to earn an extension.