The news that Mike McCarthy did not secure a contract extension following his season-high 12 wins in 2023 came as no surprise to many. A major contributing factor was the Dallas Cowboys’ lack of success in the postseason.
Now that he is in the last year of his current deal, owner and general manager Jerry Jones is keeping a close eye on him and what changes he can make to take the team to the next level. Nevertheless, in light of the great expectations, his perspective is quite intriguing.
With Mike McCarthy on the last year of his contract, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones stood outside the locker room and talked about an “extraordinarily disappointing” loss. @WerderEdNFL breaks down a bad Sunday at AT&T Stadium: https://t.co/BOjhP9sfBn pic.twitter.com/1QMgss5HdZ
— WFAA (@wfaa) September 16, 2024
During his weekly radio program on 105.3 The Fan, Jones stated: “I don’t think where he is with his contract has anything to do with (the season-opening win at) Cleveland, where we were giving accolades out to him and [Mike] Zimmer or how we played Sunday,” “We’re trying to get this team ready and in place to really make a run at the playoffs.”
January is when the pressure will start for Cowboys
Having said that, Jerry Jones was very explicit in letting everyone know that the club will be good enough to make it to the playoffs despite the outcome against the New Orleans Saints, but that pressure will mount in the areas where the team needs to perform well. Jones said :
“If we’ve got any albatross around our neck, it’s that we’ve been a good-to-very-good team during the season over the last four to five years with Mike, and we haven’t done well in the playoffs. So let’s trade some challenges during the season for doing well in the playoffs, if you want to look at it that way,”
It is known what Mike McCarthy and the squad have assigned themselves after three straight seasons with twelve wins and nothing to show for it. Dak Prescott can also feel the pressure and it’s only a matter of time that everyone starts to talk about it if they don’t win during the regular season but only time will tell.
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy and owner Jerry Jones cannot believe what they are seeing. The Cowboys have given up 35 points in the first half, matching the most the Cowboys have ever given up in a first half in team history 😂
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) September 15, 2024
