Mike McCarthy’s record in 13 seasons with Green Bay, including a Super Bowl victory, four NFC Championship games and eight straight postseason appearances, made him a star candidate for the Cowboys head coaching job when it opened up in 2020.
Since committing to Dallas, McCarthy has gone 12-5 and qualified for the playoffs every year besides his first with the team, good for two NFC East titles in 2023 and 2021. However, the coach has been unable to replicate his success with the Packers—the Cowboys are 1-3 in elimination games under McCarthy, only making it past the first round once in 2022.
With the 2023 campaign ending in a 48-32 loss at home to McCarthy’s former team, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had to release a statement confirming the coach would return for the following season after meeting with him for several hours following the wild-card defeat.
Shortly after, it was also confirmed that McCarthy would not be receiving a contract extension before the 2024 season. As the Cowboys begin the year 1-2, the coach’s prospects of signing another deal with the team will continue to decline if things don’t improve.
Here’s everything to know about McCarthy’s contract, including why the Cowboys coach did not get an extension ahead of the 2024 campaign.
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Mike McCarthy contract
After departing Green Bay and sitting out the 2019 season, McCarthy signed a 5-year contract in 2020 with the Cowboys reportedly worth $ 4-to-$ 7 million per season. This is the final year of said deal, meaning if Dallas decides to let him go in the middle of the season the team won’t be on the hook for much. Once McCarthy’s contract expires, the Cowboys won’t owe him any money if he’s fired.
Why did Mike McCarthy not receive a contract extension ahead of 2024 season?
In late January, Adam Schefter reported that McCarthy is not likely to receive any sort of extension from the Cowboys as of now. He is coaching the 2024 season on an expiring contract, and according to Schefter, Jones’ reasoning was that an individual in the final year of a deal is “challenged in a different way.” Essentially, the longtime owner is waiting to see how McCarthy fares before making any contract decisions.
It’s worth noting that before McCarthy, Jones did the same with then-Dallas coach Jason Garrett, who coached into the final year of his contract twice. The first time in 2014, Garrett led the Cowboys to a 12-4 season which resulted in a 5-year extension. However, in 2019, he finished an even .500 and was out of a job by the end of the season.
McCarthy has said he “is more motivated by legacy than money” and “the lack of an extension was not an issue to him.” Nevertheless, the decision does affect the coach’s ability to fill openings on his coaching staff and provides a storyline that could hang above the Cowboys’ results all season.
“I came here to win a championship,” McCarthy said. “I didn’t come here to get another contract or anything other than that. I came to Dallas to win a world championship.”
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