Jerry Jones is not losing his faith on Mike McCarthy despite the Dallas Cowboys' disappointing Wild Card exit in the 2024 NFL Playoffs. The team owner said as much on Wednesday after his decision to keep the veteran tactician as their head coach.
McCarthy's future was a big question mark over the last few days following the Cowboys' loss to the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round. It has been reported that McCarthy's status next season would be decided by how the team performs in their final game, and with that heartbreaking loss to Jordan Love and Co., many expected Jones to part ways with him.
Interestingly, Jones decided to keep McCarthy, at least for now as the head coach enters the final year of the season. According to Jones, he made the decision because they were “very close” to achieving their goals with McCarthy leading the way.
“I believe this team is very close and capable of achieving our ultimate goals and the best step forward for us will be with Mike McCarthy as our head coach. There is great benefit to continuing the team's progress under Mike's leadership as our head coach,” Jones explained, via Adam Schefter of ESPN.
“Specifically, there are many layers of success that have occurred this season as a result of Mike's approach to leading the team, both with individual players and with our team collectively. Mike has the highest regular season winning percentage of any head coach in Cowboys history and we will dedicate ourselves, in partnership with him, to translating that into reaching our post season goals. Certainly, Mike's career has demonstrated post season success at a high level, and we have great confidence that can continue.”
What's next for Dallas Cowboys under Jerry Jones, Mike McCarthy?
Jerry Jones also defended Mike McCarthy's role in their loss to the Packers, adding that the head coach is not the only one to blame for the defeat. The Cowboys owner emphasized that everyone on the team shares responsibility for the loss.
“There is accountability for our results. I am accountable for our results. The lens we use to view and evaluate Coach McCarthy is holistic. While we're all disappointed with the result on Sunday and with our playoff record, I am 100 percent supportive of him as our head coach and ability to reach our goals,” Jones added.
As for the Cowboys' next steps, Jones revealed that they will start the “process of review and decision making regarding everything that impacts our team and roster.” He noted that while they are not going to address the contract situations of the players, they will make a deep “review and consideration” on the matter.
For now, McCarthy will continue as the Cowboys' head coach. Nonetheless, with just one year left on his deal, it also means he needs to prove in 2024 that he can lead Dallas to the Super Bowl. Another failed season would probably result to Jones and the ownership looking elsewhere for another man who can guide them where they want to be.
The Cowboys have now failed to make the playoffs for nearly three decades, with the last time they made it to the big stage being in 1995–during which they also won the title. Sure enough, they wouldn't want that drought to extend to exactly 30 years. The pressure is on McCarthy to make sure that doesn't happen.
Follow Us
Subscribe