Jerry Jones Floats Idea Of Contract Extension For Cowboys Coach Mike McCarthy

Jerry Jones does his weekly radio show on 105.4 The Fan in Dallas somewhat early in the morning, so it's strange that he would say things about Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy that sound as if the club's owner has been drinking excessively.

But here we are.

On Tuesday's show, Jones raised the possibility of giving McCarthy a contract extension.

No, really.

A Washington Commanders exec has been fired after making scathing remarks about Jerry Jones and the NFL. (Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports)

Jones: Not ‘Crazy’ To Keep McCarthy

"I don't think that's crazy at all," Jones said. This is a Super Bowl-winning coach. Mike McCarthy has been there and done that. He has great ideas. We got a lot of football left."

And this is where critical thinking should kick in.

Jones declined to give McCarthy a contract extension after the Cowboys' playoff loss to Green Bay at home last season. No, he didn't fire McCarthy, but he let him coach into the 2024 season on an expiring contract.

By his own admission, Jones did that because he wanted to get a full evaluation on McCarthy – including the playoffs this year – before re-committing to his coach.

Except the Cowboys may not reach the playoffs. 

Dak Prescott Not Playing

The team is 4-7 and currently seeded 14th out of 16 teams in the NFC playoff chase. The Cowboys would have to win out to reach 10 games which is traditionally the mark most playoff teams achieve to get in the postseason.

And the Cowboys would have to do that without starting quarterback Dak Prescott.

Good luck with that.

And have we mentioned the Cowboys have had their share of drama this year? And weird decisions by McCarthy?

The idea of Jones giving McCarthy an extension actually runs counter to what most observers expect to happen. Directly opposite, in fact.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 10: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys looks on before a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium on November 10, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

Jones Believes Story Unwritten

But Jones says that would be a poor read of the situation.

"Bottom line is no place in my body language or anything else have you seen an indication about what we’re going to be doing relative to this staff at the end of the year," Jones said. "And we shouldn’t, we got a lot of football left."

Why does it feel like Jones has a different agenda than actually doing what he says?

Is this some weird attempt to get his team to rally, believing the coach might be coming back, so play better for him?

This, you'll recall, is the same person who said he was "all in" on the idea of winning in 2024. And then the club did precious little to bring in new players. And the team signed Prescott and receiver CeeDee Lamb just before the season – giving itself little chance to enjoy the fruits of the cap space relief the contracts brought.

So Jones has had a tenuous relationship with his words lately.