The Cowboys could try to drop the Mike during the 2022 season.
The 2022 Dallas Cowboys should be good: They’re returning with Dak Prescott, still have a pretty good skill position group (despite the Amari Cooper move) and solid defense.
However, the biggest unknown surrounding the team could be who is calling the games.
Mike McCarthy’s job security has come under quite a scrutiny since he put pen to paper in Dallas. Some of that stemmed from the seemingly acrimonious split between him and Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, while others poured slurs over how much of a modern coach he could be.
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As McCarthy enters his third year for the win-now Cowboys, there could be a win-later team with a new bench chief at some point in the upcoming season.
Who will be the first coach to be fired?
Mike McCarthy might not be at the top of the list, but he certainly is.
Carolina head coach Matt Rhule could be the first coach to get the ax this season if the Panthers stumble out of the gate, although a new quarterback at Baker Mayfield could earn him some more carelessness. The Panthers still have good defense and play in a division that could be a little more competitive in 2022
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Somewhat surprisingly, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is also nearing the top of the list. Carroll is entering his first season without Russell Wilson after the passer was sent to Denver. However, Carroll could win the season out of respect for what he accomplished in Seattle.
Job Security by Mike McCarthy
However, McCarthy could be resting comfortably at the head of those who may be fired if Jerry Jones’ transparent threat ahead of the season is any indication.
“To put it bluntly, he wouldn’t be sitting here today if I didn’t believe he was the man to lead this team to a Super Bowl,” Jones said at the start of training camp.
He wouldn’t be, and I have a choice. This is not meant to be insensitive to anyone. That’s fact.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be, but what McCarthy is doing is costing him his job — though certain decisions didn’t exactly inspire confidence in his first two years — but who’s available.
Whispers have now often linked (sort of) free-agent head coach Sean Payton to the Cowboys’ job, since Payton and owner Jerry Jones are good friends. Those whispers have gotten so loud that Jones commented on them earlier this offseason.
“Sean Payton shouldn’t be out there,” Jones said. “For him, the Cowboys, that’s just out of thin air. It is known that we are good friends and think highly of him as a head coach. But in this case, he shouldn’t be asking like you aren’t going to be a conversation starter.”
McCarthy was also aware of the Payton rumors and commented on them in May.
“It’s a narrative I don’t want to be a part of,” McCarthy said. “I don’t think anybody wants to be a part of that, on either side of the fence.”
McCarthy also said that he spoke to Jones about the rumors and the duo paid no heed.
“He addressed (the Payton rumours), we laughed about it and moved on. That’s really where it is.”
A disappointing end to the 2021 NFL season for Dallas led to some speculation that McCarthy’s standing at Dallas is less secure than he might have anticipated. That is nothing to laugh about.
This could be McCarthy’s pivotal year, and if that’s the case, don’t be surprised to see a former saint marching in.