Jerry Jones' comments on coaching search are a slap in the face to Mike McCarthy
By Jerry Trotta
At this point, Dallas Cowboys fans have grown numb to whatever Jerry Jones says to the media. It's gotten to the point where fans are convinced Jones prefers promoting and marketing the team than actually chasing a Super Bowl.
However small, there was hope that the Cowboys' wild card loss to the Packers would light a fire under Jones. Keeping Mike McCarthy as head coach didn't move the needle, but Jones caught everyone's attention at the Reese's Senior Bowl on Tuesday when he said Dallas will make "all-in" moves this offseason.
It's one thing to say that in January and carrying it out come March. Until then, Cowboys fans have little reason to take the owner's words to heart.
Getting back to McCarthy, Jones has seldom bypassed an opportunity to send veiled messages to the head coach through the media. Despite not wanting to speculate on possible head coach candidates in 2025, Jones made a very telling comment about Bill Belichick to Yahoo Sports' Jori Epstein.
This will read like a slap in the face to McCarthy.
Jerry Jones didn’t want to speculate about any head coach candidates.
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) January 31, 2024
So I asked him what he respects generally about Bill Belichick.
“I know him personally & I like him,” Jerry told me. “There’s no doubt in my mind we could work together. None. None.”https://t.co/RgvncrnfGd
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' comments on Bill Belichick feel like a slap in the face to Mike McCarthy
"We all know that he’s [Belichick] certainly excellent, maybe at the top of his profession. To say that any one person automatically assures you a Super Bowl is ridiculous. That’s too high [an] expectation for him. But is he maybe the greatest pro football coach of all time? Could very well be. . . .He is a friend and I like him and I want to make real clear: I wouldn’t have any problem working with him."
There goes Jones taking it a step too far again. He said he didn't want to speculate on potential replacements for McCarthy, and yet wanted to make it abundantly clear that he "wouldn't have any problem working with Belichick." The hypocrisy is almost hilarious. It's not like Epstein provoked Jones to discuss a potential work environment with Belichick.
Jones knows exactly what he's doing. This comment will lead to speculation of Belichick as the Cowboys next head coach. Given the sheer aura of Belichick and that McCarthy is entering a lame duck year, the 82-year-old knows his words will cause a stir and gain traction in the media. Ipso facto, Jones is keeping Dallas a prominent talking point even though their season ended three weeks ago.
Troy Aikman said he's a supporter of Dak Prescott and he's not surprised Mike McCarthy was retained. "If you make a change then your basically making a change for the same reason you made changes back a few years ago when you brought Mike in."
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) January 24, 2024
Jones said in a Jan. 17 statement after he chose to retain McCarthy for 2024 that he's "100 percent supportive of him as our head coach and ability to reach our goals." And yet before the playoffs, Jones said "we'll see how each game goes" when asked about McCarthy's future.
The owner continues to contradict himself. He wasn't asked if he and Belichick could function together, but he chose to take it there. If that's the case, why didn't Jones just fire McCarthy and hire Belichick after the season?
Maybe the feelings aren't mutual. After all, given how Jones has treated McCarthy why would Belichick have any interest coming here?
More Cowboys news and analysis:
manual