Cowboys owner Jerry Jones makes his feelings crystal clear amid Mike McCarthy to Bears buzz

Mike McCarthy and the Dallas Cowboys ended a frustrating season on Sunday, with a close loss to the Washington Commanders. After a disappointing year, many important decisions will have to be made and McCarthy is at the center of them.

The head coach has an expiring contract with the franchise. While it was expected that he would leave, a late-season surge from Dallas has sparked plenty of reports that his job could be safe. On Monday, however, Adam Schefter reported that the Chicago Bears asked for permission to interview McCarthy for their coach opening.

Even with an expiring contract, the Bears needed to ask permission because he's in the middle of a window with exclusive negotiating rights.

But owner Jerry Jones has been clear about the permission from Chicago: if he wants to do it, he's free. He doesn't want people working for the Dallas Cowboys when they'd rather be somewhere else:

Jones is considered to be a patient owner with his head coaches. Jason Garrett, the previous man to hold the job, had nine years as the Cowboys' head coach and never made it to the NFC championship game, let alone the Super Bowl. If Jones decides to keep McCarthy, this would be his sixth season in Dallas.

Mike McCarthy's record with the Dallas Cowboys is extremely positive

Even though he's strongly criticized for his playoff failures, no one can deny that he's having success with the franchise. Throughout the five years he has coached the Cowboys, he has put together an impressive 49-35 record, with three straight seasons finishing 12-5 and two NFC East titles.

In 2020 and 2024, both years where he finished with negative records, franchise quarterback Dak Prescott was lost for injuries midway through the season, hampering the Cowboys' progress.

He has been with the franchise since 2020, but the coach is better remembered for his period coaching the Green Bay Packers, from 2006 to 2018. Coaching during the best years of Aaron Rodgers' career, he led the Packers to victory in Super Bowl XLV, the only one of his coaching career.