Report: Mike McCarthy Won't Coach 2025 NFL Season After Cowboys Exit, Focused on 2026

Mike McCarthy reportedly will not be the next head coach of the New Orleans Saints.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday that McCarthy "decided to focus on the 2026 hiring cycle and will not coach in the NFL this season" after parting ways with the Dallas Cowboys following the 2024 campaign.

While this may have been an active choice for McCarthy, it's not as if the league left him much choice.

Dallas moved on before hiring Brian Schottenheimer, the Jacksonville Jaguars hired Liam Coen, the Las Vegas Raiders hired Pete Carroll, the New York Jets hired Aaron Glenn, the Chicago Bears hired Ben Johnson and the New England Patriots hired Mike Vrabel.

That left only New Orleans as an opening, and Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reported Tuesday that "McCarthy did not garner the interest from the Saints that he anticipated."

Schultz noted Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is "the leader in the clubhouse" when it comes to the NFC South team, although he has a Super Bowl to prepare for after helping lead his team to the sport's biggest stage.

This coaching cycle may not have gone as McCarthy hoped, but he will surely generate interest next offseason.

After all, his resume includes a Super Bowl ring, 174-112-2 overall record and 12 playoff appearances in 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers and Cowboys. Making the playoffs twice as many times as missing them over that long of a stretch is quite the accomplishment, and other teams will likely notice after the 2025 campaign.

McCarthy also has an offensive background given his time as an offensive coordinator with the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers and has worked with signal-callers such as Aaron Rodgers and Dak Prescott.

Teams with young quarterbacks may be interested next offseason as well, so he will bide his time for now and perhaps find himself right back in interview rooms in a year.