Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy’s contract with the team is reportedly set to expire on January 14 and, according to NFL Insider Tom Pelissero, there still have been no official discussions with team owner Jerry Jones if he’ll be returning or not.
Mike McCarthy’s contract is set to expire Jan. 14. That gives the #Cowboys an exclusive negotiating window — and a soft deadline to strike a deal or potentially lose McCarthy to another job.
Full story from me and @RapSheet: https://t.co/wIvRucEAvp
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero)
January 3, 2025
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According to a new report by Pelissero, McCarthy’s contract will expire nine days after Week 18’s game at home against the Washington Commanders, the finale of the 2024 season.
Per NFL rules, the Cowboys have a little over a week to negotiate exclusively with McCarthy. This timeframe, however, also acts as a soft deadline to either reach an agreement or risk losing him to another team.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – NOVEMBER 03: Head coach Mike McCarthy of the Dallas Cowboys looks on during the first quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on November 03, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. Cowboys HC…
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – NOVEMBER 03: Head coach Mike McCarthy of the Dallas Cowboys looks on during the first quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on November 03, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy tells team to “enjoy” losing skid.
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Once the regular season concludes, other teams can request permission from the Cowboys to interview McCarthy for head coaching positions, and Dallas will decide whether to allow it.
However, no permission is needed once McCarthy’s contract expires on January 14. At that point, he would be free to interview with other teams and accept a new job at any time.
Sources indicate that there have been no substantive discussions about a contract extension for McCarthy in Dallas, and the Cowboys have yet to make a definitive statement about their plans for next season.
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However, Jones has been talking up McCarthy in recent weeks, while still refusing to give any actual confirmation of whether the coach will be back in 2025.
Jones recently spoke to 1053 The Fan to discuss McCarthy, saying, “I can’t tell you how proud I am of the way the coaching staff, led by Mike McCarthy, the way that the leadership on this team, and really proud of these young players. They just are growing mentally and physically by leaps and bounds, makes me think we’ve got and outstanding future ahead of us.”
Notably, that was after the team’s victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so Jones may simply have been in a good mood.
On the other hand, for the first time since 2020, the Cowboys are out of playoff contention.
Their postseason hopes were officially dashed even before they beat the Bucs in Week 16, as Washington’s last-second victory over the Eagles sealed their fate.
This marks the first time since Mike McCarthy’s inaugural season with the team, when they finished 6–10, that the Cowboys will be watching the playoffs from the outside. It’s also the earliest playoff elimination for the Cowboys since 2010.
For his part, McCarthy recently said: “I do appreciate the opportunity to speak on it. I’ve answered this question the same for however many months now, so I think the focus, I need to make sure I’m doing exactly what I’m asking everyone else to do. We need to finish the race.”
For more on the NFL, head to Newsweek Sports.
Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy Contract Set To Expire Soon: Report
