NFL insider reveals Mike McCarthy’s job security before Cowboys-Buccaneers

Mike McCarthy’s Dallas Cowboys have their sights set on Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ahead of their Monday night playoff matchup.

While football fans wait patiently for the playoffs to start, the annual coaching carousel is in full-swing after Black Monday lived up to its cutthroat reputation. On top of a handful of firings, the rumor mill has heated up in terms of teams eyeing up replacements for their canned coaches.

While Kellen Moore and Dan Quinn are both expected to be hot commodities in this year’s sweepstakes, it’s Quinn who’s generated the most buzz in the early goings. Per reports, the Broncos have asked permission to interview Quinn, who was a finalist in Denver’s head coaching search last offseason.

Quinn’s potential departure will be a prominent storyline in Cowboys land this offseason, but not bigger than Mike McCarthy’s future, especially if Dallas crashes out of the playoffs on Wild Card Weekend after they won 12 regular-season games for the second year in a row.

Another one-and-done result will result in rampant speculation that McCarthy could be handed the pink slip, but Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer understands McCarthy’s job is safe regardless of what happens against the Bucs.

What’s Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy’s job security before Wild Card clash vs Buccaneers?

Here’s what Breer said of McCarthy’s future in Dallas.

"Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy and Chargers coach Brandon Staley should be safe. The former has navigated major injuries to his quarterback and left tackle, and can get to 12 wins if the Cowboys beat Washington. The latter is in the playoffs in his second year. But I’ve heard enough to not be 100% on either happening, in the case that the first round of the playoffs go poorly for either guy. And, yeah, Payton’s been connected to both of those jobs (and with his affection for living in Southern California, and Justin Herbert being there, and his long-standing connections to the Cowboys, you wonder if he’d come off the idea of making $20 million per year to take those jobs)."

The Sean Payton speculation won’t end until he settles on his next destination. That’s just how this cookie is going to crumble given Payton’s ties to the Cowboys and Jerry Jones. Of course, Payton served as Dallas’ quarterbacks coach from 2003-05 and is largely credited with discovering former franchise QB Tony Romo.

Would Payton be an exciting hire for the Cowboys? No doubt, but let’s not undersell what McCarthy’s done over his three years with the organization. He’s already matched Jason Garrett’s 12-win output in six-fewer seasons and owns a 5-1 record with backup Cooper Rush starting for Dak Prescott.

That’s not to say McCarthy is perfect for the job, but there’s only a handful of elite head coaches in the league. Say the Cowboys let go of McCarthy, who (other than Payton) would you like to succeed him? Kellen Moore? Jim Harbaugh?

Who knows what Breer’s report ultimately means if Dallas loses to the Buccaneers in embarrassing fashion, but it does speak to the job McCarthy has done. Again, leading a team to consecutive 12-win seasons is hard to do in the NFL.

Be careful what you wish for.