Bill Belichick a 'possibility' for Cowboys if Mike McCarthy is fired, per report

In the wake of Dallas’ wild card round playoff exit at the hands of Green Bay, speculation is swirling about the Cowboys’ head coaching position.

Head coach Mike McCarthy could be on the chopping block after his third straight season ended in an early exit from the NFL playoffs, despite the fact that McCarthy has won two division titles and reached 12 wins in each of the last three years.

One name is apparently emerging as a contender for the job, should McCarthy get the axe, too.

Bill Belichick.

“Well, the guy we have to keep an eye on is Bill Belichick,” said NBC’s Mike Florio on Football Night in America on Sunday night. “He’s been linked to the Falcons for most of the past week but now that the Cowboys go one-and-done, McCarthy’s got one-year remaining on his contract.

“There’s plenty of chatter about this possibility of McCarthy out and then potentially Belichick in. It all starts with step one — what will Jerry Jones do about his head coach, will he move on from Mike McCarthy?”

That is the great unknown at the moment, with McCarthy still having one year left on his contract and the Cowboys at least putting themselves into position to make a run in the postseason the past few years.

Of course, Belichick is no stranger to the postseason, either. After New England and Belichick parted ways, he quickly became one of the hottest potential coaching candidates on the planet.

So would he actually be an option in Dallas?

Former NFL head coach and current NBC analyst Jason Garrett offered some interesting insight into what a working relationship between Belichick and Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, might look like.

“They’re actually close,” Garrett said. “They’re good friends. They really like and respect each other. But the working relationship, it’ll be interesting.”

It would certainly be a new adventure. Belichick spent 24 years in New England, where he won six Super Bowl titles.

Dallas hasn’t won a Super Bowl title since 1995, and the Cowboys have been trying to recapture the magic of the early ’90s ever since. What better person to help them do that than one of the winningest coaches in NFL history?

So stay tuned, the next few days could get very, very interesting in Dallas. One way or another.