Jerry Jones addresses Sean Payton rumors by (kind of) backing Mike McCarthy

If anyone can spin a story, it’s Dallas Cowboys owner and GM Jerry Jones. Ever since Sean Payton announced that he was retiring as the New Orleans Saints head coach after 16 seasons, there have been swirling rumors that Payton could come back to Dallas. The soon-to-be FOX broadcaster spent three seasons as the Cowboys’ quarterbacks coach before getting hired by New Orleans back in 2006. Ever since Payton spent time on his staff, Jones hasn’t been shy about his respect and admiration for the coach.

However, even before the retirement announcement, Jones made some wishy-washy comments about his current head coach, Mike McCarthy. Shortly after the team’s frustrating loss in the Wild Card round, Jones went on the radio and refused to confirm his head coach’s future with the team. A week later, he said that never happened. Meanwhile, McCarthy sat there trying to pick up the pieces without the full support of his GM.

Now, almost six months later, McCarthy is set to enter his third year as the Cowboys leader with a record of 18-15. After a dismal 6-10 start, he did help guide the Cowboys to a 12-5 record and an NFC East championship the following year. However, that was largely overshadowed by Dallas’s discouraging playoff exit, which started rumors of a McCarthy exit well before Payton was ever out in New Orleans.

Payton’s retirement certainly didn’t help the case. The head coach has admitted to reporters that all of this drama was not anything he wanted to be a part of.

After accepting a bid for his stadium to be a host venue for the 2026 World Cup, Jones addressed reporters about American football. He was unsurprisingly asked about McCarthy’s job security and Payton. On the surface, this seems like the first glowing review Jones has had for his current head coach in quite some time:

"“It shouldn’t be part of a conversation right now as to where Mike is relative to Sean Payton. That shouldn’t be there. I don’t have that there any place in my mind. Mike is not only here but he’s in the best position, in my mind, to lead this team as coach. he is very qualified to win a Super Bowl. He has the kind of qualities as a person and individually that I really want to work with. And I know his players feel the very same way and his coaching staff feels the same way.”"

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones backs up Mike McCarthy but also doesn’t fully dismiss Sean Payton idea

In that first paragraph, you get the impression that Jones really does have faith in his coach and believes he can lead the Cowboys to their first Lombardi Trophy in over 26 years. He deems the Payton rumors a non-conversation and doubles down on McCarthy as a coach and human being.

But, then Jones starts to spin and weave himself an out for the future. Instead of just leaving it at “I believe in my coach,” the Cowboys owner decides to dig himself back into a hole.

"“Sean Payton shouldn’t be out there. That’s an injustice for him, the Cowboys, all of us… Mike has got an opportunity here to win a Super Bow. That’s really the measurement that I look at. But it’s also an eternity between right now and next year.”"

So, he goes from Payton is not part of the conversation to letting reporters know that things can definitely change because plenty can/will happen between now and next season. The GM literally built himself a way to bring the former Saints coach in if that were to be an option in 2023.

At first glance, we solely thought McCarthy was finally getting a long-awaited glowing review from his boss. Although he did express his faith in the coach, the more Jones spoke, the less it really felt that way. For now, we know McCarthy is the leader heading into 2022. Only time will tell who will hold that job in 2023.