Ex-NFL QB floats NFC North destination as Plan B for Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy

Just when you thought you were out, they pull you back in. The Dallas Cowboys are 7-8 on the season and officially out of the playoffs, but that doesn't mean that they will go down without a fight, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers learned on Sunday Night Football.

A 26-24 win over Tampa Bay means the Cowboys have now won four of their last five games. While the playoffs aren't a concern, glimpses of what this team looks like under Mike McCarthy's offense and Mike Zimmer's defense have been evident.

Backup quarterback Cooper Rush led the way, and with Jerry Jones praising his head coach, the popular opinion is that McCarthy will return to coach "America's Team" in 2025.

However, the tide can turn quickly in the NFL. If McCarthy and the Cowboys part ways this summer, former NFL quarterback Chase Daniels floated a rather unusual destination for the Super Bowl-winning head coach on FS1's The Facility:

“He was lame-duck head coach. He had to prove that he could win. They’re not going to the playoffs or going home early. But they’ve won four of the last five with a backup quarterback and he has not lost the locker room. Now we’re talking about hey, he’s a free agent. It seems to me like the leverage has swung back in Mike McCarthy’s hand. Ultimately, he should want to stay the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys."

“Don’t think for one second [that] with the seven or eight other head coach openings that [they] aren’t going to be reaching out for him."

"A fascinating choice for Mike would be the Chicago Bears. You know that division. You have a rookie quarterback who, at the time he was coming out, is more developed than Dak Prescott was as a fourth-round pick. And you don’t have to deal with a crazy owner.”

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Everything we know about Mike McCarthy's future with the Dallas Cowboys so far

We know McCarthy is in the final year of his five-year contract with the Cowboys. However, he has more than a few players in his corner, starting with Dak Prescott, who told the media that he would do everything in his power to ensure McCarthy is back coaching the team next year.

Jerry Jones also appeared to share a few warm words with his head coach after Sunday Night Football, prompting speculation that he would be back.

Furthermore, during a November episode of The Athletic's Scoop City podcast, NFL insider Dianna Russini also noted that McCarthy would get more than a handful of interviews if he becomes a free agent in 2025's coaching carousel.

As things stand, all of the Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets are in desperate need of a new head coach while we could also see the Las Vegas Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Giants make a change this summer.

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