Tis the season for thought exercises. After the Cowboys were unceremoniously ousted from the playoffs in the opening round, there’s no better time than now for asking the hard questions. And the first questions the Cowboys front office has to be asking themselves is where they go from here with their coaching staff.
Four years into the McCarthy tenure and he still hasn’t accomplished much more than what his predecessor Jason Garrett had. Granted, Garrett never posted three 12-win seasons, but he also never had a roster as well-rounded as what McCarthy has had. And Garrett’s 2-3 postseason record with Dallas stands up to McCarthy’s 1-3, even if it did take the former more years to accomplish it.
The Garrett comparison is an apt one, not just because of the consecutive nature of their terms as head coach, but in the patience exerted towards him from the Cowboys front office.
Garrett served as head coach for the Cowboys for nine seasons. His final 8-8 season in 2019 proved to be the nail in his coffin but many believed he had already coached three seasons too many and the dismissal was overdue.
Jerry Jones doesn’t take coaching changes lightly. Maybe he’s extra patient, maybe he’s extra stubborn, or maybe he’s hung up on the money he already guaranteed. Whatever the reason, Jones doesn’t pull the plug just because the fanbase wants to pull the plug. Such could be the case with McCarthy in 2024.