If there is an analyst out there that has some knowledge of how things work in Dallas, it is Jason Garrett, who was the backup quarterback for the Cowboys for 10 seasons, the offensive coordinator for more than three years and the head coach from 2010-19, the direct predecessor of Mike McCarthy, the current coach.
So as speculation swirls around McCarthy’s future, Garrett surely has more insight to offer than most. And he spoke about it during the Cowboys’ surprising win over the Buccaneers on Sunday night, with a pretty clear message for McCarthy: Win the last three games, or you’re probably out.
“I don’t think Jerry Jones has made up his mind yet. I think he’s going to evaluate these last three games and make a decision from there,” Garrett said, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “There was an assumption coming into this season that McCarthy’s future would be based on playoff success. They’re 6-8, out of the playoffs, and the team has regressed. So I see these last three games as critical. If they win three to go 9-8, and end on a strong note, I could see them continuing.
“But if they lose three against tough opponents and finish 6-11, I think that’s a harder sell to the Dallas Cowboys’ fan base.”
Mike McCarthy Has Been on the Hot Seat All Year
McCarthy and the Cowboys took care of the first game on the docket with the surprising win over the Buccaneers despite coping with significant injuries. Dallas has now won four out their last five games to go to 7-8, and run that would have been five straight wins if not for a special teams blunder on a punt in Week 14 against Cincinnati.
Given the way the team has played, even without star quarterback Dak Prescott and even with Jones having done little to add talent in the offseason, the case for the team keeping McCarthy is getting stronger. McCarthy is in the final year of his contract and has been the subject of job speculation going back to the playoff loss to the Packers in January.
A 3-8 start to this season seemed to ensure that McCarthy’s time with the Cowboys was ending.
Cowboys Saving Their Best for Last
McCarthy, for his part, has gotten his players to put their best foot forward even in dire circumstances.
“I just think that [effort] shows you who they are,” McCarthy said after the game. “I think everybody says the coach is always talking highly of the locker room — well, this is what I’m talking about. When I talk about, ‘It’s a great locker room,’ this is the definition of it. This is what a great locker room looks like. And it’s a mixture of men from all over the country, all over the world and different personalities. Obviously in circumstances [out of the playoffs] that we’ve discussed at length already. But when it came time to play, they played their asses off and I can’t tell you how proud I am.”
And Jones echoed that sentiment, raising ever-more questions about whether he could go through with moving on from McCarthy.
“Those guys came out and played as though they were fighting in the championship game to go to the Super Bowl,” Jones said afterward. “I can’t tell you how proud I am of them and the coaching staff. It really shows me something.”
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