NFL fans get their jokes off as Mike McCarthy takes major decision on NFL future - "Nobody wanted him"

Mike McCarthy is going on break after five years with the Dallas Cowboys. And fans believe they have the reasons why he is doing it.

On Tuesday, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that the veteran head coach would be taking a sabbatical for the 2025 season to focus on 2026. He had last been a candidate join the New Orleans Saints, who have been seeking a permanent replacement for Dennis Allen after special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi assumed caretaker duties in the aftermath of a seven game losing streak:

And fans immediately ridiculed the decision:

More of the negativity can be seen below:

"Why would anyone hire this guy?" one wondered.

"Lol that’s good news for us all," another "rejoiced".

"McCarthy should have re-signed with Jerry but he rolled the dice, bet on himself and lost," another rued.

McCarthy is coming off a 7-10 record in 2024, the first time the Cowboys missed the playoffs since his 2020 debut with them, when they went 6-10. Inbetween those seasons, the franchise went 12-5 from 2021 to 2023, clinching the NFC East twice. However, they won only one playoff game - in 2022, when they were a Wild Card.

During the end-of-season meeting earlier this month, he stated his case to remain in Arlington:

"I'll just be clear: I'm a winner."

The Saints, meanwhile, are said to be pivoting towards his former assistant Kellen Moore, the Philadelphia Eagles' current offensive coordinator, who had a second interview with the organization also on Tuesday.

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Mike McCarthy's move to sit out 2025 NFL season follows similar pattern from his past

But as it turns out, this will not be Mike McCarthy’s first time “resting”. Back in 2018, he had been fired midseason by the Green Bay Packers after a 4-7-1 record. Entering 2019, he received interest from three teams: the Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets, and Cleveland Browns.

He quickly turned down the Cardinals, leaving just the two AFC teams. The Jets were the first to interview him, but they eventually settled on Adam Gase. The Browns interview ended with him declining, and they settled on Freddie Kitchens.

What resulted was a one-year sabbatical. During that period, he met with various coaches, watched film, and read playbooks. In a wide-ranging interview with Tom Pelissero that December, he reflected:

"It's nice to have time to think about it, to watch, discuss, and you're not (saying), 'Hey, we gotta make this decision by (the) end of March, (because) OTAs start in April. The whole 360 (degree) view, whether it's watching the games, watching the officiating, game management, scheme, technology, analytics."

The gamble paid off: early in 2020, right after Jason Garrett left the Cowboys, McCarthy interviewed for the vacant HC position. After half a day, he got it.