From Nora PrinciottiJanuary 14, 00:55 UTC • 6 mins

Oh, the irony that Mike McCarthy, my former Ringtone Colleague Kevin Clark, once aptly described as “pre-fired,” turned out to be the one who left.

McCarthy and the Dallas Cowboys, the football team/brand that has employed him for the past five seasons, parted ways on Monday. At the risk of cutting the Mosquito (to borrow a phrase), it’s worth delving into the details here, as they are somewhat revealing about the ways in which team owner Jerry Jones continues to maintain little awareness of the Mosquito reveals actually Condition of his football team.

McCarthy coached through the 2024 season on an expiring contract, a relatively unusual arrangement that was an obvious sign that things were getting very hot at the position. For several years, Jones has been flaunting McCarthy’s job security, or lack thereof. But everyone knew that McCarthy’s contract in Dallas was set to expire at midnight on Tuesday, and until recently the Cowboys gave signs that they wanted to extend the partnership.

The biggest signs came last week: Dallas blocked McCarthy from interviewing with the Chicago Bears, and even though the window for interviews with potential head coach candidates currently employed by playoff teams was open for the Cowboys, they made no inquiries . Now, if the Cowboys want to personally interview prospects like Detroit’s Ben Johnson or Aaron Glenn or the Eagles’ offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, they will have to wait until their teams lose or, if they reach the Super Bowl, until the game is over.

That’s not what you would expect from a team planning to hire a new head coach, especially considering whoever comes next in Dallas may need a whole new staff, as McCarthy’s assistants also reportedly had expiring contracts. Which definitely gives the impression that McCarthy was the one saying goodbye and not Jones.

According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the Cowboys and McCarthy had negotiated a new deal, but it fell through due to a disagreement over the length of the contract. If you think that a year or two on paper isn’t a good reason to blow up your entire coaching staff, then yes. But this also suggests that it was probably McCarthy who decided he had had enough. McCarthy, 61, has been an NFL head coach for 18 years and has spent most of that time as a public scapegoat, first for Aaron Rodgers and then for Jerry Jones, perhaps the two figures the entire current NFL loves most Expressing other people’s shortcomings. You can see why McCarthy would be pretty fed up; It might actually be more surprising that he avoided an entire Joker arc.

McCarthy seemed prepared for it to come to this. Accordingly Sports IllustratedMcCarthy, Albert Breer, changed agents before this hiring cycle and signed with Don Yee, who famously represented Tom Brady. And McCarthy is now entering a hiring landscape that appears ripe for a person with a particular resume. With Mike Vrabel and Bill Belichick off the board and heading to New England and the University of North Carolina, respectively, the options are slim for teams looking to hire someone with a proven track record as a head coach, making McCarthy a standout player . And McCarthy has history with three of the teams with vacant spots: the Jets, Saints and Bears. McCarthy interviewed for the Jets’ head coaching position in 2019, was the Saints’ offensive coordinator from 2000 to 2004, and coached against Chicago several times a year (with great success) at Green Bay for over a decade.

Chicago has reportedly already requested an interview with McCarthy, and the Saints could be next. The Saints in particular appear to be a likely landing spot. McCarthy may even be in a good position to land a job this cycle without having to brag about his credentials to Pro Football Focus.

It’s less clear that the Cowboys have prepared for what comes next. There are certainly plenty of candidates they may interview (eventually), including those with ties to the organization, like Moore. But the late decision on McCarthy’s future likely cost her the chance to interview Vrabel. Belichick reportedly would have been interested in the Cowboys job if he had known it was available before committing to UNC. I think we should never say never when it comes to Belichick – Jones and Belichick have a personal relationship, and it’s always possible that Jerry is trying to make a financial offer that can’t be refused, or that Jones is making an up-and-coming one Candidates find hold.

But whoever the next Cowboys coach is, they will have to rebuild an entire staff, deal with a lagging roster and deal with an owner whose expectations seem increasingly unrealistic.

McCarthy’s job security was threatened not only because of that season’s 7-10 record, but also because he had been recruited to lead the Cowboys deep into the playoffs, something he failed to do five years later. When McCarthy’s Cowboys actually made it to the postseason, they failed in spectacular fashion. But those disappointing finishes and early playoff exit were at least partially due to Jones’ confusing roster construction strategy.

The Cowboys were hesitant to re-sign star players like Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, but then had to pay market-setting premiums when their delays gave those players additional leverage, a pattern that seems to be repeating itself with star linebacker Micah Parsons. Meanwhile, Jones and his son Stephen — the Cowboys’ executive vice president, CEO and director of player personnel — spent very little in free agency. Last year, Dallas’ most significant addition was linebacker Eric Kendricks, who signed a one-year, $3 million contract. When asked last year why Dallas didn’t pursue elite players like running back Derrick Henry, Jones said, “We couldn’t afford that.” (The Ravens, who had less cap space than Dallas at the start of free agency last year, signed Henry, now a cornerstone of their offense, and went to the divisional round.)

Perhaps McCarthy’s departure is a wake-up call. Much of Jones’ reluctance to spend money on outside players and the chaotic way he has handled contract situations with Prescott, Lamb and now Parsons seem to stem from the idea that everyone should be lucky enough to play for Dallas to work. The way the Cowboys handled the final week of McCarthy’s contract suggests they didn’t consider that He Maybe you don’t want to stay here.

It’s not like losing McCarthy would be a total disaster. He won a lot of regular-season games – his .608 record as a head coach, including three 12-win seasons in Dallas, is better than Kyle Shanahan’s or Sean McVay’s and always places him right between Bill Walsh and Tom Landry. But his teams have chronically underperformed in the playoffs (that happened in Green Bay, too), and his offenses have often been criticized for asking too much of quarterbacks. Dak Prescott was an MVP candidate under McCarthy in 2023, but McCarthy was no longer considered an innovative offensive mind.

Without a different approach to the squad and player contracts, even that Right The new coach (even if it’s an upgrade from McCarthy) may not be enough to get the Cowboys where Jones wants them. And recent events don’t necessarily suggest the owner will take a long look in the mirror.

Last week, Jones made a cameo appearance in the Paramount drama Countryman. Calling it a cameo might be underestimating it; Really, Jones had a whole scene. I’ve never seen it before CountrymanSo it’s possible I’m missing some context, but in this scene Jones is visiting a sick Jon Hamm – who I assume is the titular Landman? – in the hospital and gives a really heartfelt speech about working with your children. Give it to Jerry, he looks really emotional when he says, “I’m pretty proud of the things we’ve done with oil and gas.” (Does that happen in the Sheridanverse?)

“When I got the Cowboys, I got it so we could all work together,” Jones said. “I thought I was doing it for her. But the one who made the most of it was me.”

Bravo, Jerry! The speech is delivered so emotionally that you almost forget that the Cowboys are a vanity project for Jones to spend more time with his children. Which either means Jones is a surprisingly great actor or, well, he’s not. I guess the decision rests with Dallas’ next head coach.

Nora Princiotti

Nora Princiotti covers the NFL, culture and pop music, sometimes at the same time. She hosts the Every Single Album podcast, appears on The Ringer NFL Show, and is a Taylor Swift Fellow on The Ringer.