NFL analyst skewers Cowboys amid Mike McCarthy potentially returning as HC for 2025 - "The organization loves mediocrity"

Mike McCarthy led the Cowboys to a win over the Buccaneers in Week 16 but it was a meaningless victory as Dallas is now confirmed to miss out on the postseason. It is a huge disappointment after finishing first in the NFC East last year.

The Cowboys finished 12-5 in 2023 but lost at home in the NFC playoffs in the Wild Card round. That first-round exit was thought to have doomed Mike McCarthy but he returned to Dallas with Jerry Jones' blessing. The thought was that the head coach should be given a chance to correct the failings from last season and take them further past the regular season that they did. Instead, they are not going to the postseason at all.

One would have assumed that it would be enough to end Mike McCarthy's career in Dallas, especially since this is the last year of his contract. However, there has been talk about bringing the head coach back, especially if he finishes with a winning record again in 2024.

Dan Orlovksy was having none of it and blasted the Cowboys for settling for mediocrity. He did not blame Mike McCarthy in particular, instead highlighting that they are 4-12 in the playoffs since 1998 across six coaches. He then made the bold prediction that the Lombardi Trophy will not be returning to Dallas if the incumbent head coach returns in 2025. The analyst said,

"The organization loves mediocrity. They're an average organization that doesn't win when it matters the most. They're 4-12 in the playoffs since 1998. That's with six coaches. If you bring back Mike McCarthy... you're not going to win Super Bowl with this offense schematically. You just won't."

Dan Orlovsky compares Mike McCarthy's Cowboys to other teams in making his case

Dan Orlvosky continued by saying that the Cowboys' offense looks pedestrian compared to some of the schemes other teams are running. He namechecked the three NFC North teams that are going to be in the playoffs this year. The analyst commented,

"You can't tell me that you could watch Detroit, and you could watch Minnesota, and you could watch Green Bay, you could sit there and go schematically, we create as much advantage for our players as those teams do."

The Cowboys have additional salary cap constraints that they have to be mindful of as they try to extend Micah Parsons in 2025 after giving mammoth contracts to Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb last offseason. Whether many of the top coaches will want to come to a situation like that might also determine whether Jerry Jones brings back McCarthy or not.