The Dallas Cowboys failed to make the playoffs in the 2024 season and now everyone is having to cope with watching the wild card round with their team not in it. Meanwhile, the Cowboys' hated rival, the Philadelphia Eagles, are the two-seed in the NFC playoffs.
Before the Eagles' wild card match-up against the Green Bay Packers, former Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson floated a wild trade idea on FOX NFL Sunday. Johnson suggested that the Cowboys should send Mike McCarthy to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for Mike Tomlin.
"Things are stale in Pittsburgh. Things are stale in Dallas," Johnson said. "How about a coaching swap? Mike McCarthy is a Pittsburgh guy. Let him go to Pittsburgh. Let Mike Tomlin go to Dallas. Both franchises would be excited."
Jimmy Johnson suggests that the Cowboys and Steelers should swap head coaches
This is an absolutely bonkers suggestion from Johnson but let's entertain it as if it could actually happen for a second. The problem for both of these franchises right now is that they've failed to have any kind of postseason success. Tomlin, despite his winning ways, hasn't led the Steelers to a playoff win since 2017.
Tomlin is praised for not having a losing record since taking over as Pittsburgh's head coach in 2007. The problem with the Steelers hasn't been winning games but winning games that matter. This is the same problem the Cowboys have had (though this past season winning anything was hard to come by).
Both of these head coaches have Super Bowl wins on their résumé (Tomlin with the Steelers in the 2008 season and McCarthy with the Packers in the 2010 season) but success in the playoffs since then has been pretty non-existent for both of them. Maybe a change of scenery could solve some problems.
That being said, there's zero chance this trade ends up happening. Johnson even said he didn't have any insider information and that he was just throwing this idea out there. It appears that both McCarthy and Tomlin will return to their respective teams in 2025 so maybe Johnson can bring up this idea again next year.