Mike McCarthy's contract with Dallas Cowboys set to expire January 14

Mike McCarthy could very well be coaching his last game as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys (7-9) in this Sunday’s Week 18 home contest against the Washington Commanders (11-5).

The 61-year-old’s contract is up, and according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, that contact expires Jan. 14. That leaves an exclusive negotiating window of a little over a week for the Cowboys to strike a new deal with McCarthy or potentially lose him to another job.

Once the regular season ends, other teams can request permission from the Cowboys to interview McCarthy for coaching positions. Dallas must decide whether to permit him to interview. But once his contract expires Jan. 14, no permission is required. McCarthy would be free to interview in-person with other teams and accept a job at any time, the NFL insiders noted.

Dallas is already eliminated from playoff contention in a season which team owner Jerry Jones said they were “all-in.” But amid inconsistent play and a growing list of injuries to key players, Dallas finds itself on the outside looking in of the postseason for the first time since McCarthy’s first season at the helm in 2020. He has since led the Cowboys to three playoff appearances and two NFC East division titles.

Mike McCarthy addresses possibility Sunday is final game as Dallas Cowboys coach

Jones has remained complimentary of the job McCarthy has done with the Cowboys.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of the way the coaching staff, led by Mike McCarthy, the way that the leadership on this team, and really proud of these young players. They just are growing mentally and physically by leaps and bounds, makes me think we’ve got and outstanding future ahead of us,” Jones said after the Week 16 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7).

McCarthy has also earned the support of team leaders such as quarterback Dak Prescott, who previously advocated for him to return under a new contract. But the other factor in play is does McCarthy want to return to Dallas in 2025? If the answer is no, he appears to have one job opening on the front of his mind. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, McCarthy could “set his sights” on the Chicago Bears (4-12) job ahead of the 2025 season.

We’ll know soon what the Cowboys and McCarthy’s intentions are, but for now, the former Super Bowl champion is understanding that Sunday’s game at AT&T Stadium could be his last wearing the star.

“I’ll be honest with you, I go to the stadium much earlier this time in my career than I used to,” McCarthy said Thursday, per Jon Machota of The Athletic. “I won a Super Bowl in that home locker room at AT&T Stadium. “So, I have a very strong emotional attachment that it hits me every time I walk in there and every time I walk out. So, yeah, I’m definitely aware of it. I’m not thinking about it right now, but, yeah, I’m definitely in tune with that.”