Jerry Jones 'couldn't be more pleased' with Mike McCarthy as Cowboys enter playoffs

Win or lose in Sunday’s NFC Wild Card matchup against the Green Bay Packers, it sure sounds like Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is safe.

Team owner and general manager Jerry Jones, speaking on 105.3 The Fan Tuesday, said he “couldn’t be more pleased” with McCarthy, calling him “the big difference this year” to the Cowboys’ success.

“I couldn’t be more pleased with what he’s done and how he’s coached. … I really mean it,” Jones said, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “He has really made as big a difference from his head coaching vantage point as anybody could from any vantage point in the NFL. He’s the big difference this year.”

Jones had a different tone the day prior, however, when asked about McCarthy’s job status for 2024 and beyond.

“I just think his record speaks for itself,” Jones said. “I think of what he has done and that we’ve put ourselves in this position over these last three years. Think that does speak for itself. We’ve got a lot of football left and no small part thanks to Mike. … We’ll see how each game goes.”

Mike McCarthy gets playoff matchup against former team

McCarthy, in his fourth season with the Cowboys, guided the team to their third consecutive 12-5 finish. Dallas capped it off with an NFC East title, outlasting the reigning NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles. Playoff success has been hard to come by, as the San Francisco 49ers have defeated the Cowboys in each of the last two postseasons.

McCarthy and the Cowboys have a chance to rewrite their past misfortunes, starting with the Packers, the team who fired McCarthy in 2018. As opposed to last season when the two teams met, McCarthy isn’t letting emotions take centerstage this time around.

“Last year, I thought it was important for me to talk about Green Bay at the beginning of the week with the team. I regretted it,” McCarthy said Monday, via the team’s website. “That doesn’t even need to come into our energy base, but you live and learn. This game is about our commitment. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing.

“… That’s where I am. There’s just no time for that. … It will not help us win. And if it will not help us win the game, not interested.”