Mike McCarthy: 'Definitely Aware' Week 18 Could Be My Last Game as Cowboys HC

While the Dallas Cowboys don't have anything on the line in Week 18 against the Washington Commanders, their head coach knows the situation is much different for him personally.

Mike McCarthy is out of contract at the end of the season and he told reporters Thursday he might be coaching in his last game with the team. He said he's "definitely aware of it," though it's not at the forefront of his mind.

During his regular appearance on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones spoke positively about McCarthy without saying whether the coach will be back.

"Well, I feel good about Mike McCarthy, and the main thing is that I like that job that he's done," he said (via ESPN's Todd Archer). "It's unfortunate we're having the year we had, but I feel good about Mike."

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler followed up Thursday to report that "more industry sources than I expected believe McCarthy has a small chance to stay, in part because of what's considered a weak candidate pool."

The dearth of great candidates across the board, plus the Cowboys' improvement in the second half, might boost McCarthy's stock to the point he could even be in demand elsewhere, too. Fowler said elsewhere in his story there's a belief the the Super Bowl XLV winner could pursue the Chicago Bears job.

When it comes to McCarthy's future, the pendulum started shifting as the Cowboys went on a stretch of four wins over five weeks, which culminated in a 26-24 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The performance against Tampa Bay was particularly inspiring because it came after Dallas was officially eliminated from playoff contention.

However, the team laid an egg in a 41-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17, a result that certainly didn't help McCarthy's odds of returning.

There's nothing to indicate the coach's fate is tied solely to what unfolds Sunday at AT&T Stadium, but it might be hard for Jones to see the value in maintaining the present course if the Cowboys close the season with two straight lopsided losses.