Mike McCarthy fired: Cowboys fans send billionaire owner Jerry Jones clear message on recruiting Deion Sanders

The Dallas Cowboys are in unfamiliar territory this week. After a puzzling turn of events that started with billionaire franchise owner Jerry Jones speaking highly of head coach Mike McCarthy and the job he has done, the franchise decided to part ways with him mere days after turning down the Chicago Bears' request to interview McCarthy.

McCarthy's contract expired at the end of the regular season. The Cowboys had an exclusive window to negotiate a new contract with him, a window that would expire on January 14. However, per multiple reports, it appears McCarthy will not be back as Cowboys head coach next season. The McCarthy era in Dallas ends with a 49-35 record that included just one win in the playoffs.

As soon as news of McCarthy and Dallas parting ways reached social media, most Cowboys fans had one name in mind as a top replacement - Deion Sanders.

Sanders, of course, won two Super Bowls as a player, one with the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX and again with the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XXX two years later. Cowboys fans now want Jerry Jones to push the boat out to bring Sanders back home. Here's what fans had to say on social media:

"The new Cowboys coach will most likely be Pete Carroll or Deion Sanders," one fan wrote.

"Prediction: Cowboys trade up and draft Shadeur Sanders, draft Shilo Sanders late, and hire Deion Sanders as HC," another wrote in hope.

"This really means Deion Sanders is gonna be the cowboys coach... Doesn't it," a third wrote.

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Is Deion Sanders to the Cowboys within the realm of possibility

For all his faults as a general manager, Jerry Jones has managed to make the Dallas Cowboys the undisputed most valuable franchise in all of sports. Forbes' latest valuation had the franchise worth $10 billion.

Sanders has also gone on record to state that he would be open to coaching in the NFL, provided he gets to coach both his sons, Shedeur Sanders and Shilo Sanders. While the former is a lock to be a top-five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, it remains to be seen if Shilo is seen as an NFL-ready pick in April.

In any case, the Cowboys currently have the 12th pick in the draft so it's not out of the realm of possibility that they trade up to draft Shedeur Sanders to make the franchise a more attractive destination for Deion Sanders, whose cult has far-reaching effects in the world of football.