Dallas Is 7–9, but Jerry Jones Doesn’t Blame the Coach: ‘I Feel Good About Mike McCarthy’

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy on the field before a game against the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Oct. 3, 2021. Tim Heitman/USA Today Sports via Field Level Media

Dallas could lose 10 games for the first time since 2020 on Sunday, but Cowboys owner Jerry Jones isn’t set on moving on from head coach McCarthy.

“We’ve got this game ahead of us, but I'll assure you that I have been for weeks thinking about how we go forward after this season.” Jones told 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday.

McCarthy had two losing seasons with the Cowboys (7–9) in five years, and he had only one playoff victory in that span. Dallas had three straight 12-win seasons under McCarthy from 2021 to 2023, but injuries and inconsistent play derailed the Cowboys’ 2024 season.

“What I’m not going to do this morning is to get into any indication one way or the other that I’m not interested in having Mike back, I don’t want that to be the case at all,” Jones said during the radio show. “And I think the fan sentiment has shown that Mike’s certainly got the kind of coaching background and coaching success that would make him a very qualified coach in the NFL.

“I feel good about Mike McCarthy. The main thing is, I like the job that he’s done, it’s unfortunate we’ve had the year that we’ve had, but I feel good about Mike.”

McCarthy had a successful run with the Green Bay Packers from 2006 to 2018 before he came to Dallas. His Packers tenure produced a Super Bowl win, three NFC Championship Game appearances, and six NFC North titles.

McCarthy took his lumps in 2008, 2017, and 2018. He bounced back from the 2008 campaign with a playoff run and a Super Bowl the year after. Green Bay parted ways with McCarthy in the middle of a second-straight losing season in 2018.

“You learn a lot during adverse times, challenging times, you learn a lot about yourself,” Jones said. “But certainly, you learn how it is to work with someone and yes, it’s been that kind of year.”

Dallas’s injuries have been significant, from linebacker Micah Parsons missing time to quarterback Dak Prescott getting sidelined for the season. The Cowboys can bring back most of the team’s top players next season, which has Jones feeling confident.

“When I look at where we are at our talent level, I feel real good that we’ve got the nucleus of a team that can compete,” Jones said.

“I sure think we can have some of those players that we didn’t have for the most part this year on defense that will really help us out. And we'll add some new faces as well.”

Dallas sits at the No. 13 spot in the 2025 NFL Draft, but that could shift depending on the Week 18 results and the Cowboys’ finale against the Washington Commanders (11–5).