The Dallas Cowboys might be 3-5-1 coming out of the bye week, but their record isn't a reflection of the job Brian Schottenheimer has done in his first year as a head coach. That isn’t to say Schottenheimer has been perfect, but his playbook and offensive philosophy have been a revelation compared to Mike McCarthy’s.
It's clear that the Cowboys have upgraded, but it was still a surprise that McCarthy didn't get a job after he was dismissed by Dallas.
It certainly didn't help McCarthy's chances that Jerry Jones waited almost a week after the season ended to move on from McCarthy, but he figures to be back coaching in some capacity in 2026. And by the looks of it, there's a chance McCarthy replaces Brian Daboll with the New York Giants.
Dan Duggan of The Athletic predicted McCarthy as the second-leading favorite to get the job, behind Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and ahead of Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman.
Mike McCarthy becoming the Giants' head coach would be all kinds of weird for Cowboys fans
It's too early to credibly handicap the search, but if I had to predict the three favorites as of today, I'd go with:
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) November 12, 2025
1-Lou Anarumo
2-Mike McCarthy
3-Marcus Freeman
I think it ends up with Anarumo and Kafka staying as OC. https://t.co/bLHrCYXK6j
McCarthy gets a bad rap amongst NFL fans. While some of that is warranted, he's a really good coach. While not a ceiling-raiser, McCarthy could help lead the Giants down the path of respectability, a road they've wandered from for over a decade.
The Giants flirted with that under Daboll, who led them to a playoff win in his first season in 2022, but his 11-33-1 record the last two-plus years speaks for itself.
Known for developing quarterbacks, McCarthy would be a great mentor for Jaxson Dart, who has exceeded expectations as a rookie quarterback, but has to learn to play within structure and not put himself at risk while scrambling to have sustained success as a starter.
McCarthy wouldn't lead the Giants anywhere special, but they've been a dumpster for most of the Dak Prescott era. There is a notion on social media that McCarthy would be a terrible hire for New York, but the Cowboys finished top-five in scoring in three of his five seasons as head coach, including finishing No. 1 in 2021 and '23.
Winning in the NFL is not easy, and McCarthy has won over 60 percent of his games in 18 years as a head coach.
Sweeping the Giants has become an annual tradition for Dallas when Prescott is healthy. If they hire McCarthy, the Cowboys would no longer have two guaranteed wins on their schedule.