Sean Payton addresses whether he'll talk to Mike McCarthy amidst Cowboys interest

When Mike McCarthy was brought on board, Jerry Jones had sky-high expectations. In hiring McCarthy, he was replacing his friend with someone who was there to win. As such, he expected a lot, considering what he was sacrificing.

Instead, he ultimately ended up with the same result when the Cowboys hit a wall against the San Francisco 49ers.

With the loss, the Cowboys were suddenly caught off-guard and were behind in the head coaching search. As such, they ultimately had no choice but to stick with Mike McCarthy for 2022.

However, unless a major improvement is made in next year's postseason, the team is rumored to be ready to move on. One of the reported candidates looks to be Sean Payton, with the former head coach of the New Orleans Saints being named as the frontrunner.

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio recently spoke to Payton. Florio asked if Payton had reached out to Mike McCarthy, or tried to ease his anxiety about such a move taking place. Put simply, it seems Payton doesn't even want to touch the subject with a ten-foot-pole.

“I haven’t. You know what, it’s a good idea because I felt like it took place for a while with Jason Garrett, a good friend of mine who I coached with at the Giants. Still a close friend to this day, and I consider Mike someone who’s a close friend.

Mike’s done it long enough. We both entered the league as head coaches the same year in ’06. We’re of the same age and we’re of the same background. Look, our paths have been different. I’m his big fan and I think he’s one of those guys who’s a fantastic coach."

Why doesn't Sean Payton want to talk to Mike McCarthy?

New Orleans Saints v Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Basically, the former head coach of the New Orleans Saints respects the Cowboys head coach and sees him as a friend. Starting a conversation with a friend about taking his job is not a good idea. The amount of tact and diplomacy it would take to successfully navigate a conversation like that would be nearly impossible.

Payton decided to simply talk about it in the media, sending an amicable message of good intentions only. Perhaps the head coach is hoping to avoid the conversation altogether. This subtle and non-threatening approach seems to be the direction Payton has decided upon.

Will Payton be the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in 2023? The ball is in Mike McCarthy's court.

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