The Dallas Cowboys may have lost to a Washington Commanders team that leaned on Marcus Mariota over Jayden Daniels in the second half, but that does not necessarily mean the Cowboys are going to move on with a head coaching change and part with much-maligned Mike McCarthy.
McCarthy himself has been very vocal about wanting to keep this job, and reports from Adam Schefter this morning seemed to indicate that it is more likely than not that Dallas chooses to bring back McCarthy for what would be his sixth season in charge of Jerry Jones' team.
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McCarthy has been reduced to begging for his job, using some of the most laughable excuses to make up for his 7-10 record this season. McCarthy declared himself a winner (true, in the regular season) and talked up the fact he won a championship at AT&T Stadium. You know, the one 13 years ago with prime Aaron Rodgers on a different team. That one.
As goofy as leaning on accomplishments from more than a decade ago may sound, that line of logic is exactly why Jones hired him in the first place and stood by him publicly so many times in the past. It could keep him around again if Jones still believes in that line of logic.
Mike McCarthy's plea to keep Cowboys job may actually work on Jerry Jones
McCarthy is banking on the idea that he should get a mulligan after Dak Prescott's injury. While he did get some serviceable production out of Cooper Rush (and Trey Lance in Week 18), McCarthy had no shot of doing anything in terms of the postseason.
The Cowboys would be a very attractive opening. With a Top 12 pick, an elite quarterback and wide receiver locked up long-term, and some very good players on the defensive side of the ball, coaches will likely be able to overlook the fact they will play in a fairly difficult division.
McCarthy staying in town won't keep fans happy, as they may have just missed out on the best chance to win a Super Bowl in the Prescott era. Philadelphia, Detroit, and Minnesota have all emerged as juggernauts in the conference, San Francisco will be better next year, and Washington is on the rise.
McCarthy is well-liked by Jones, and he knows that. As long as he knows exactly how to push Jerry's buttons and get him over to his side, it will seem increasingly unlikely that Dallas is actually going to pull the trigger on any sort of trade.