Cowboys keeping Mike McCarthy after playoff choke job is a gift to NFC

If there was one silver lining Dallas Cowboys fans could take from their demolition at the hands of the No. 7 seed Green Bay Packers in their home postseason loss, it was the knowledge that Mike McCarthy and a coaching staff that has hit their ceiling could be on their way out.

With defensive coordinator Dan Quinn possibly ready to reenter the head coaching ranks and McCarthy's offense fizzling against one of the league's worst defenses, the opportunity to make a clean break and hire someone who can get this team back into the Super Bowl picture.

In a coaching cycle where Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll, and Mike Vrabel were all let go, the Cowboys decided not to chase one of those big names. They are running it back in 2024, much to the chagrin of what should be a red-hot fanbase after what went down on Sunday.

Adam Schefter reported that McCarthy, in the last year of his deal, is coming back for the 2024-25 season. Apparently only winning one playoff game in four seasons despite routinely being given one of the best rosters in the league on both sides of the ball is acceptable production for Jerry Jones and this organization.

Dallas Cowboys not firing Mike McCarthy is a gift to rivals in NFC.

In a vacuum, McCarthy's raw stats seem passable. A 42-25 record, aided by three consecutive 12-5 seasons, makes it sound like Dallas is a well-oiled machine. However, just like with McCarthy's Packers teams, their regular season play doesn't translate to January football.

McCarthy's lone playoff win with the Cowboys came last year, when they beat up a decrepitly old Buccaneers team against an aging Tom Brady who looked every bit of 45 years old. Two tough losses to the San Francisco 49ers and Jordan Love's coming out party have ruined the last two McCarthy campaigns.

The rest of the NFC is not intimidated by this move. San Francisco and Green Bay have proven they can roll over McCarthy. Even the Eagles, burdened by their own epic postseason failure, can take solace in the fact they don't have more of McCarthy's trademark ultra-conservative play and inability to get teams fired up early in playoff games.

McCarthy is a fine floor-raiser, as he can take a struggling team and make them into a playoff contender. Where he struggles, even with Hall of Fame quarterback play, is the playoffs. Jones will see if McCarthy's fifth season in Dallas finally produces a result worth writing home about.