It seemed like a foregone conclusion that Mike McCarthy would return as Dallas Cowboys head coach. In predictable fashion, though, Jerry Jones did not come to play at the negotiating table and the two sides mutually agreed on Monday to go their separate ways.
The only way Jones could have justified dragging out the McCarthy saga was if he and McCarthy agreed to terms on a new contract. By waiting until Monday to make a decision, the Cowboys are playing catch-up with the rest of the teams that have openings.
To add insult to insult, it was reported in the aftermath that Bill Belichick would have been interested in the Cowboys' job had he known it would be available.
Now the head coach at the University of North Carolina, Belichick reportedly has heard from multiple NFL teams to gauge whether he would reconsider his big-money move to Chapel Hill. That list includes the Las Vegas Raiders and minority owner Tom Brady.
The Cowboys have full jurisdiction to enter the Belichick sweepstakes, but Jerry Jones is unfortunately far too stingy.
Cowboys' Jerry Jones is too cheap to lure Bill Belichick away from UNC
If you're wondering how Belichick could ditch UNC after just taking the job, his contract includes a $10 million buyout if he were to leave before June 1, 2025.
Belichick could pay the buyout himself, per NFL Media's Tom Pelissero. Odds are, though, that Belichick would prefer a team to pay it. Not only would that sweeten the proverbial pot, but it would soften the PR hit Belichick would take by leaving the program before coaching a game.
READ MORE: New report confirms Jerry Jones screwed himself with Mike McCarthy negotiations
Regardless, the moral of the story is Belichick is still available. The harsh reality, though, is Jerry Jones does not want to pay his coaches a $10 million salary. There is a less-than 0% chance he would fork over $10 million and a new salary to boot just to land a head coach - even one of Belichick's prestige
Care to guess how much Belichick made in his final season with the Patriots? A lofty $20 million. He was the NFL's highest-paid coach at the time. While it's possible Belichick would take a slight discount to coach the Cowboys, we're talking about arguably the best head coach the sport has ever seen. He would be well within his rights to ask for something in the $10-15 million range.
That would be a non-starter for Jones paired with Belichick's buyout. It is far more likely that desperate teams like the Raiders and Jaguars offer to buy Belichick out of his contract.
ESPN reported early Monday that McCarthy made $8 million per year throughout his Dallas tenure. That Jones would have to pay more just to poach Belichick from UNC all but confirms someone else will be coaching the Cowboys in 2025.