No doubt, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has been coy with his plans for the team’s coach in 2025, with most presuming that current coach Mike McCarthy–who is in the final year of his contract and probably should not have returned after last season’s playoff debacle against the Packers–is just playing out the string down the stretch of this NFL season.
Still, Jerry Jones told The Fan radio station in Dallas that McCarthy could be in line for an extension to keep him in Dallas, even with the dumpster fire that this 5-7 seasons has been. He doubled down on that sentiment this week.
“Quality of character, quality of football character, he’s steady as a rock …” Jones said, per DallasCowboys.com. “He’s genuine, he’s no BS with these players, and I’ve never thought for one second that the team had quit recognizing what an outstanding coach he is.”
The decisions that Jones has made in the past year does open the notion that there’s no telling what he might do next. Still, even for Jones, bringing back McCarthy would be wacky.
Cowboys Coaching Candidates List Is Long
So, who could the Cowboys bring in? The list of high-profile suspects who have been mentioned is impressive: legendary coach Bill Belichick, collegians Deion Sanders and Kirby Smart, respected retreads Mike Vrabel and Robert Saleh. But let’s face it. Jones isn’t going there.
More likely, the Cowboys are going to find a recognizable coordinator and bump him into the role. Ben Johnson in Detroit is one that comes up often. Perhaps Eric Bieniemy, as he seeks a return to the NFL. Houston’s Bobby Slowik? Tampa’s Liam Coen?
How about (ahem) former Cowboys player and coordinator Kellen Moore?
Yes, that Kellen Moore, whose offenses started fast and slowed to a halt each season he was at the helm (2019-22). The same Kellen Moore who Cowboys fans ran out of town as he consistently failed to make adjustments and settle into a good working relationship with Dak Prescott.
Now that he has resuscitated his reputation in Philadelphia, especially if the Eagles continue their current run and land in the Super Bowl, maybe Cowboys faithful will welcome Moore back as a McCarthy replacement.
Kellen Moore Has Thrived With Eagles
That notion was floated at ESPN this week by NFL insider Dan Graziano, who was looking at the top potential head coaching candidates of the offseason.
He writes: “A couple of years ago, Moore was a popular enough candidate that he seemed on the verge of landing a head-coaching job. The end of his time as the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator led to an ill-fated 2023 season in that same job with the Chargers. But he has rebounded in his first season in Philadelphia, designing and calling one of the league’s most explosive offenses around Saquon Barkley, Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and a terrific offensive line.
“If the Cowboys move on from Mike McCarthy, could Moore be a candidate to return to Dallas in the big job?”
It’s doubtful that Cowboys fans have forgiven Moore for his sins from his time in the job, which would make it a pretty out-of-touch hire on the team’s part. Which would make it a very Jerry Jones thing to do.
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