Mike McCarthy has “power” in 11th-hour negotiations with Jerry Jones, NFL analyst claims

Mike McCarthy's job security has been called into question since last year when the Dallas Cowboys made it to the postseason but lost in the wild-card round to the Green Bay Packers. Before the start of this season, Dallas owner Jerry Jones assured his team's fans that they were going to be "all in." However, the team is 7-9, with just one more game to go before the regular season wraps up.

Despite calls to fire McCarthy, Jones remains adamant that he trusted and believed in his coach and in all likelihood that they would sign a contract extension once the season ended. However, according to NFL analyst Mike Florio, Jones might not offer an extension at all and McCarthy might opt out of his role before he is fired.

"I don't know how much, but the power swings to him," Mike Florio said. (Timestamp: 3:57). "Look, even if he doesn't have another head coaching opportunity, he could go somewhere and be an offensive coordinator. He could say, 'I just don't want to work for you anymore, Jerry. I quit before I'm fired.'"

He also added that what Jones put McCarthy through last year could also be a factor. Florio said the reason why Jones did not extend McCarthy's contract before the start of the season was because he thought having the extension still up in the air would incentivize the coach to perform better.

"You think of what Jerry Jones put in through the past year under this guise of when people are under pressure, you get the most out of them," Florio said.

Jones also openly flirted with the idea of hiring Bill Belichick, and all the while Mike McCarthy kept his down and kept working. Meanwhile, Belichick took a job with the North Carolina Tar Heels in a shocking turn earlier this month.

Will Mike McCarthy stay on as Cowboys HC?

An NFL insider believes that McCarthy's future is still in the balance as the team's coach in 2025. According to Albert Breer, the Cowboys would have to draft an entire new contract and since most of his assistants are due for extension as well, they would have to redo the contracts for them.

"The problem is they have to draft an entirely new contract," Breer said. "Virtually every assistant on his staff is up, too. They would basically have to redo contracts for everyone on his staff."

Would the Cowboys rather let Mike McCarthy walk and hire another coach who could build out his coaching staff in Dallas?