Adam Schefter provides latest on Mike McCarthy next steps, head coach openings

After three straight seasons where Mike McCarthy led the Dallas Cowboys to the playoffs, it was a difficult final season for him in Dallas and that culminated with the team moving on from him once his contract ran out.

Now, McCarthy is looking at what the next options are for him in his career. Right now, it appears he’s still looking at head coaching options and will continue to pursue those before considering any other options for the 2025 season. ESPN insider Adam Schefter shared the latest on that job search during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday afternoon.

“I haven’t gotten that far down the line to know what he would do if he doesn’t get one of these jobs,” Adam Schefter said. “I think he’s in play in New Orleans. I think he’s been in play in Chicago. I think he’s a legitimate candidate in both places, so I don’t know if he’s gotten there yet that he’s thinking, ‘I didn’t get either one of these and now what do I do?’ That’s two steps ahead of me right now.”

It’s rare that a head coaching contract runs out or that a coach even continues into the final year of their contract without getting an extension or being fired. However, that’s what happened between the Cowboys and McCarthy this past season. That gave Dallas an extended period to negotiate with him while other teams couldn’t. In fact, when the Bears reached out to request an interview, it was denied.

“I think people are more interested to see if he can get one of these head coaching jobs, which I think is possible right now,” Schefter concluded.

Mike McCarthy has a record of 174-112-2 all-time. In the postseason, his record is at 11-11. That includes his time with the Green Bay Packers and with the Dallas Cowboys and it makes him the 12th winningest coach all-time in the regular season and puts him in a tie for 11th in the postseason. Going back to his time with the Packers, McCarthy did win a Super Bowl and found success against other NFC North teams, winning that division six times. He also won the NFC East twice while with Dallas.

It has been reported that Mike McCarthy interviewed with the Chicago Bears and that has been described as a two-horse race between him and Ben Johnson for the role. With the Detroit Lions season coming to an end, it seems like that job will be decided relatively soon.