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Cowboys Rumors: Mike McCarthy Could Be Fired with Disappointing Playoff Performance
January 15, 2022
Mike McCarthy led the Dallas Cowboys to a 12-5 record and the NFC East crown in just his second season with the team, but he reportedly could be coaching for his job during Sunday's playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported Cowboys owner Jerry Jones "may consider a coaching change" if the team doesn't find success in the playoffs.
That is especially the case since offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn are generating plenty of interest with multiple head coaching vacancies around the league and may be on the way out if McCarthy stays.
"If this season doesn't end the way Jerry thinks it should, don't be surprised if Kellen Moore is their next head coach much sooner than later," a source told La Canfora. "He does not want to lose him."
This was Moore's third season as the offensive coordinator in Dallas, and La Canfora reported Jones sees him "as essential" to helping quarterback Dak Prescott reach his full potential as the franchise signal-caller.
As for Quinn, he has a notable resume that includes helping lead the Seattle Seahawks to two Super Bowl appearances and one Lombardi Trophy as the defensive coordinator in addition to his time as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.
He was on the sidelines in Atlanta from 2015 until he was fired during the 2020 season and reached a Super Bowl there as well during the 2016 campaign.
While the coordinators are intriguing options for other teams around the league, the Cowboys showed drastic improvement under McCarthy by going from 6-10 in 2020 to 12-5 this season. He also has his own impressive resume to fall back on considering he went 125-77-2 with a Super Bowl title as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 2006 until he was fired in 2018.
His Packers squad made the playoffs in nine of his 13 years as the head coach.
Alas, it apparently might take some postseason success for the veteran coach to keep his job with the Cowboys, which will only serve to dial up the pressure even more as the team looks to defend its home-field advantage against the 49ers on Sunday.