Advertisement

Cowboys to keep coach Mike McCarthy, 'very close' to title, owner says

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones (C) said cited Mike McCarthy's (L) past playoff success as one of the reasons for keeping the coach in 2024. File Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones (C) said cited Mike McCarthy's (L) past playoff success as one of the reasons for keeping the coach in 2024. File Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI

Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Jerry Jones will bring back Mike McCarthy as head coach in 2024, amid rumors he would be fired, and believes the Dallas Cowboys are "very close and capable" of winning a Super Bowl, the longtime team owner said.

Jones released a statement about the decision through the team Wednesday night, three days after the Cowboys' season ended with a 48-32 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Arlington, Texas.

"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," Jones said. "There is great benefit to continuing the team's progress under Mike's leadership as our head coach."

McCarthy, 60, owns a 42-25 (62.7%) regular-season record and 1-3 playoff mark over four seasons with the Cowboys. He went 125-77-2 (61.8%) in the regular season and 10-8 in the playoffs over 13 seasons with the Green Bay Packers before landing in Dallas.

"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," Jones said. "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 postseason goals."

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy owns a 42-25 record over four seasons with the franchise. File Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI
Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy owns a 42-25 record over four seasons with the franchise. File Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI

Jones cited McCarthy's previous playoff success with the Packers, who he led to a Super Bowl title in 2011. He led the Packers to four conference title games.

Jones hired McCarthy in 2020. They fired former coach Jason Garrett a day earlier. Garrett coached the Cowboys for 10 seasons. He went 85-67 in the regular season and 2-3 in the playoffs. Neither coach advanced past the divisional round.

Head coach Mike McCarthy owns a 1-3 record in the playoffs with the Dallas Cowboys. File Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI
Head coach Mike McCarthy owns a 1-3 record in the playoffs with the Dallas Cowboys. File Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI

"Our loss on Sunday is shared by everyone here, not just coach McCarthy," Jones said. "Our players. Our coaches. Our front office. Myself. 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% supportive of him as our head coach and ability to reach our goals."

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy was hired in 2020. File Photo by David Tulis/UPI
Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy was hired in 2020. File Photo by David Tulis/UPI

Jones said that the Cowboys will now start their process to review their roster, including free agents. Left tackle Tyron Smith, running back Tony Pollard and cornerback Stephon Gilmore are among more than a dozen players from the 2023 roster headed to free agency.

The Cowboys also own the No. 24 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Mike McCarthy of the Dallas Cowboys owns a 167-192-2 overall record in 17 years as an NFL head coach. File Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI
Mike McCarthy of the Dallas Cowboys owns a 167-192-2 overall record in 17 years as an NFL head coach. File Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI