FRISCO, Texas – For the ninth time in franchise history, the Dallas Cowboys are looking for a new head coach. With his existing contract as the team’s head coach expiring soon, Mike McCarthy will be leaving after coaching the club for five seasons.

Hours after the decision and a day before the aforementioned deadline for exclusive negotiations, owner and general manager Jerry Jones issued an official statement.

“Throughout Mike McCarthy’s tenure here, including the last few weeks, I have highly praised the work he has done,” Jones said. “This applies to our record over this period, the cohesion and culture of our team, Mike’s qualifications and track record and, on a personal level, as a great person. I have great respect for Mike and he has led the team through some very unique and challenging times during his tenure.”

What the move means for names like Mike Zimmer and Al Harris is unclear, at least for now.

McCarthy joined the Cowboys in 2020 as the successor to Jason Garrett, who up to this point in his football career had been a lifelong veteran of the organization, which traces its origins back to his father’s time as a legendary scout for Dallas and in which Garrett later became a backup of the team became quarterback behind Troy Aikman before taking on the role of offensive coordinator and ultimately the position of head coach.

“However, before contract negotiations began, it was clear to everyone that it would be better for each of us to go in a different direction,” Jones added. “I thank Mike and wish him, his wife Jessica and their family all the best. They were a wonderful part of our community here.”

It was a five-year deal for McCarthy that turned around the pandemic-marred inaugural season and put together three straight 12-win seasons. Unfortunately, his career with the Cowboys ended with only his second loss in five tries.

Any idea what the Cowboys front office will look for in a new head coach?

That’s still unclear, but the search will begin now.

“We will begin the search for the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys immediately,” Jones said.

McCarthy leaves as one of the winningest regular-season head coaches in Cowboys history, although he is unable to translate that into postseason success for a team hungry for a return to Super Bowl glory.

Both sides were initially interested in continuing the relationship before the end of the season, but that wasn’t to be the case.

Whether it’s contract length and/or compensation and/or unknown variables, McCarthy’s term is over. He is now free to interview with any of the other 31 NFL teams, as the Cowboys initially declined a request from the Chicago Bears to speak with him during the exclusive negotiating period.

And with that, head coach No. 9 needs to be named, and preferably sooner rather than later, when considering the implications of introducing a new coaching regime.