by The Dallas Cowboys knew questions about Mike McCarthy’s contract would cloud their season. When an NFL head coach enters the final year of his contract without an extension, speculation will abound.
So when the Cowboys fell to 3-7 last month after their fifth straight loss, calls for a regime change in 2025 increased.
Dallas then won three of four games and also led in the last minute and a half in the loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Team owner and general manager Jerry Jones has noted the team’s determination under McCarthy.
“I don’t understand how you can’t say his team has shown they can handle adversity,” Jerry Jones said Tuesday morning on Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan. “He can take you there because the injury situation affects the availability of those players.”
Jerry Jones on @1053thefan on Mike McCarthy: “I don’t know how you can’t say his team has shown they can deal with adversity and he can get you there with an injury situation that affects…availability.”
On McCarthy & Mike Zimmer: “So yeah, I give them both high marks this year.”
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) December 17, 2024
The Cowboys’ last four opponents have won just 35.7% of their games this year (combined record of 20-36). In three straight 12-5 seasons from 2021 to 2023, the Cowboys developed a reputation for beating easy-to-average teams but struggled to consistently beat the best more talented teams, especially in the playoffs. So the recent wins may not represent better coaching than previous years, keeping McCarthy on the final year of his contract in 2024.
Jones’ counterargument: McCarthy has kept a team united and focused despite significant injuries, including in each of the Cowboys’ four most expensive salary cap investments.
Quarterback Dak Prescott underwent season-ending surgery for a hamstring tear in Week 9, right guard Zack Martin required season-ending ankle surgery after Week 11 and cornerback Trevon Diggs’ knee surgery could now impact his availability in 2025. Defensive end The foot fracture of DeMarcus Lawrence did not require surgery, but he has yet to return from an injury suffered in Week 4.
Star edge rusher Micah Parsons’ contract isn’t that expensive, but the All-Pro nevertheless missed four weeks due to a high ankle sprain.
With a rotating cast, the Cowboys have won recent games as underdogs and won the favor of players.
“I believe in him with all my heart,” Prescott told Yahoo Sports this month. “I don’t necessarily want to get into the nuts and bolts of course, but I think he definitely deserves a chance – another contract and a chance to coach this team with more influence. “On his terms” might be a good way to put it.
“I believe in him with all my heart.”
McCarthy has called plays effectively to win games with backup quarterback Cooper Rush.
Dallas’ run game, which was inefficient at best earlier this season, has improved from a 31st-best 3.8 yards per rush average through the first eleven weeks to an eighth-best 4.6 over the past four, according to TruMedia. The Cowboys’ production has grown similarly, from 81.7 yards through 11 weeks (31st) to 145 in the past four (seventh).
In the defense’s first year under defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, the Cowboys started poorly, allowing more than 430 yards in four of their first seven games. But the edge that has defined recent Cowboys teams is starting to return: After collecting five points in their first seven games, the Cowboys have 14 since then. They’ve created at least one takeaway in seven straight games, and at least two in four of them.
The defensive improvement reflects both Zimmer and the head coach who hired the coordinator. Does Jones see their future as connected?
“In a way, I do too, especially after the last few ball games,” Jones said. “I think you’re seeing the best of Mike Zimmer. I shouldn’t say that. You’re starting to see some of the best, but perhaps the best is still ahead. He’s been really impressive as he combines that defense with the turnover we’ve had with the availability of our players. So I wish him that.”
What else could Jones give his coaches? More time in Dallas seems increasingly likely.
The final three weeks could have an impact on that, with an uphill climb of games against three teams currently on track to make the play-offs.
The Cowboys host the 8-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football and then visit the 12-2 Philadelphia Eagles before closing the regular season against the 9-5 Washington Commanders.
The odds of Dallas making the playoffs remain below 1 percent, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. But the team’s bid to retain McCarthy and Zimmer remains well within play.
“To have that team play at the level they are playing,” Jones said, “yeah, I give them both high marks this year.”
