Mike McCarthy to return as Cowboys HC in 2025? NFL insider reasons why Jerry Jones could hesitate

Mike McCarthy will become a free agent after next week, and he has been facing much speculation about his future. Now, there is another person who believes Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones may want to think twice before keeping him around from 2025 onwards.

On Monday, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer visited Rich Eisen's show to discuss many things. On the future of the Dallas Cowboys coach, he talked about why an extension might be unlikely for him:

"If McCarthy still had years on his contract, they would go forward with him. I think they're that impressed with the job that he's done. The problem is they have to draft an entirely new contract. Virtually every assistant on his staff is up, too. They would basically have to redo contracts for everyone on his staff."

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Jerry Jones reiterates confidence in Mike McCarthy amidst speculation on Cowboys HC's future

Jerry Jones can be said to be torn on wanting to replace Mike McCarthy. On one hand, the 2024 season was disappointing, with the Cowboys at 7-9, and he may want to lose its stench and start anew. On the other, the current coaching regime has ingrained itself into the Cowboys' culture, and any replacements may fail to grasp it.

That could be why after the lopsided, 41-7 loss at the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, the octogenarian owner merely said:

"I can't express how proud I am of the way the coaching staff, led by Mike McCarthy, makes me think we have an exceptional future ahead of us."

McCarthy, however, refused to dwell on the matter:

“I need to make sure I’m doing exactly what I’m asking everybody else to do: We need to finish the race. We’ll have time to talk about that next week.”

Meanwhile, some reports have emerged that other teams are closely observing his situation. Since he is a free agent, he will be able to explore his options before deciding his future.

Jones' son, Stephen, an executive vice president for the franchise and current director of player personnel, was asked about the situation on 105.3 The Fan on Monday. He said that given the veteran tactician's winning pedigree, any outside interest would not be surprising.