Mike McCarthy: Dallas Cowboys deny Chicago Bears permission to interview

The Dallas Cowboys denied the Chicago Bears permission to interview Mike McCarthy for their head coach position, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. The decision comes one day after the Bears reportedly reached out to request a conversation.

McCarthy entered this season in the final year of his contract, but the Cowboys still have an exclusive negotiating period with him through Jan. 14. Prior to that date, another team has to request permission from the franchise to speak with him about an opening.

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The Bears requested permission to speak with McCarthy on Monday, but were still waiting on a response as of Tuesday afternoon, ESPN reported. Now, the decision is in, and all eyes are on whether an extension is officially in the works for the Cowboys head coach.

Of course, Chicago is familiar with McCarthy from his time in the NFC North. He was the Green Bay Packers’ head coach from 2006-18, going 19-7 against the Bears while totaling a 125-77-2 overall record during that time. He also helped the franchise to a Super Bowl XLV title with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.

McCarthy took over in Dallas in 2019 following a year away. He has a 49-35 record with the Cowboys, including three straight 12-win seasons from 2020-22. This year was a rough go, however, as Dallas finished 7-10.

Still, the sense is McCarthy is in line for an extension, especially after the Cowboys denied the Bears’ request to interview him. Jerry Jones previously said the two sides would sit down to talk, and he continues to speak highly of his current coach.

“Mike’s one of the best coaches that I think there is,” Jones said of McCarthy. “He was made the coach here because I thought that, and he’s done absolutely nothing to diminish my opinion of him as a coach.”

The Bears are casting a wide net in their search to replace Matt Eberflus following the first in-season firing in franchise history. Roughly 15 names are on the list so far, including former USC and Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll. He is preparing to interview with Chicago on Thursday, ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported.

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn are also on the Bears’ list, and Chicago general manager Ryan Poles said some surprises could come along the way. He also didn’t entirely rule out a trade for a coach, should the situation present itself.

“We’ll look at all avenues to get the best coach here,” Poles said, via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.