NFL analyst suggests Jerry Jones is holding Mike McCarthy hostage to upstage rival

Mike McCarthy and Jerry Jones have inadvertently teased fans with their year-long contract standoff. Well, the fork in the road is here. If Jones doesn't sign McCarthy in the next few days, any other team could land him.

One NFL analyst believes that not only will McCarthy end up going back to Dallas, but the announcement will be the first act of his new contract against his rival. Speaking on Friday's edition of "Pro Football Talk," NFL analyst Mike Florio claimed Jones was waiting on McCarthy's contract announcement so he could upstage the Eagles' playoff game this weekend.

"Packers and the Eagles. Sunday afternoon," Florio said. "The one thing I know about this game. We'll find out the fate of Mike McCarthy, the Cowboys head coach, during the game. I guarantee you Jerry Jones is going to upstage the Eagles game." (00:00:13)

Some may argue that the move would benefit McCarthy as well, allowing McCarthy to upstage his ex-team as well. McCarthy coached for the Green Bay Packers from 2006-2018. Both parties in the negotiation have reason to hold off until the game. As such, under Florio's logic, the two might have secretly agreed, but have not announced it for the above reasons.

Exploring the best potential moment Jerry Jones could release statement during Eagles-Packers

Jerry Jones at Dallas Cowboys at Washington Commanders - Source: Imagn

Jones should pick his moment carefully if the plan is to hold off the announcement artificially. Depending on the plan, he might have his finger on the send button for the announcement.

Of course, the timing will be key. The most obvious times to release the announcement would be at kickoff or the end of the game. At kickoff, the announcement would butt heads with perhaps the highest-profile moment of the game.

If he waits until the end of the game, he has two potential scenarios. In one scenario, Jalen Hurts and the Eagles win. He will rain on the Eagles' celebration if he hits send in the closing moments.

However, if he hits send after Jordan Love's Green Bay Packers win, the Eagles were arguably already out of the picture anyway with a ruined moment.

As such, waiting until the third quarter might be the best moment to release the announcement. Just as the game starts to hit its deciding moments and the excitement turns into a result, Jones can steal headlines, which would be the ultimate goal of any positive announcement.

Will Jerry Jones sign McCarthy? And will he announce at the Philadelphia Eagles' expense?

If any of the above quotes are used, credit "Pro Football Talk," and H/T Sportskeeda.