What is Jerry Jones thinking? Mike McCarthy is safe with the Cowboys thanks to optimism and loyalty

The speculation was fair.

The Dallas Cowboys hired head coach Mike McCarthy in 2020 to do what predecessor Jason Garrett had not: Get over the playoff hump.

Four years later, McCarthy has not.

He has not guided a talented roster to an NFC championship game, much less a Super Bowl, both measures of success that have eluded the franchise for more than 28 years.

So to wonder whether McCarthy would return to the Cowboys was to wonder whether Jerry Jones would operate as many of the trigger-happy NFL team owners do. After all, McCarthy’s Cowboys not only hadn’t advanced further in the playoffs than they did in previous 12-5 campaigns, they’d also lost a wild-card embarrassment at home this year after winning on the road last year. By postseason standards, the team regressed.

The Cowboys became, for the second time in three years, the only team to lose among six wild-card hosts. That they lost to McCarthy’s former Green Bay Packers only added insult to injury.

So to wonder whether the Cowboys would replace McCarthy was to wonder whether Jones believed his talent is not reaching its ceiling. Was elevating the floor, which McCarthy had done in the regular seasons relative to Garrett, sufficient? And if not, was a better candidate available?

The unusual caliber of coaching talent on the free-agent market further fueled fair speculation.

But ultimately, this team belongs to Jerry Jones, and this team’s decisions funnel through Jerry Jones. The Cowboys’ 81-year-old owner and general manager needed to ask himself if starting over is really more likely to guarantee his team gets over the hump — if firing the man at the helm of a team with a top-five offense and a top-five defense makes sense.

On Wednesday, Jones confirmed his belief: It doesn’t.

Breaking down Jerry Jones’ decision to keep Mike McCarthy

News broke Wednesday evening of McCarthy’s job security, with Jones issuing a statement shortly after reports flooded the internet. Within an hour, the Cowboys had…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-01-18 03:49:32

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