Mike McCarthy is on the hot seat in Dallas after a slow start to the 2024 season.
This is a fine line for Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. On one hand, McCarthy led Dallas to three straight 12-5 seasons heading into 2024, but the Cowboys have not advanced past the NFC divisional playoffs. Last year's 48-32 loss to Green Bay in the NFC wild-card road amplified the heat on McCarthy.
Back-to-back home losses to the Saints and Ravens have turned that up a few notches. The speculation about the next Dallas coach is one of the hottest topics in the NFL, and most of that talk is about former Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
Jones, 81, started his tenure as the Cowboys' owner by firing Tom Landry. Will he bring that full circle by firing McCarthy and hiring Belichick in an effort to get back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1995?
MORE: Will Cowboys fire Mike McCarthy?
What is Mike McCarthy's record in Dallas?
Mike McCarthy is 43-26 as the Cowboys head coach. Dallas finished 6-10 in his first season, but they have finished 12-5 each of the past three seasons. That led to NFC East titles in 2021 and 2023.
Dallas is 1-3 in the postseason under McCarthy. The Cowboys lost to the 49ers 23-17 in the 2021-22 NFC wild-card round. They beat Tampa Bay 31-14 in the NFC wild-card round the following season before losing 19-12 to San Francisco. Green Bay — where McCarthy won a Super Bowl in 2011 — beat the Cowboys 48-32 last season.
SN's NFL HQ: Live NFL scores | Updated NFL standings | Full NFL schedule
Dallas Cowboys' top coaching candidates to replace Mike McCarthy
Bill Belichick, former Patriots coach
Does he need an introduction? Belichick, 72, is considered one of the greatest NFL coaches of all time. He won six Super Bowl championships with the New England Patriots before parting ways after the 2023 season. Would he be willing to return for a few years, much like Bill Parcells did from 2003-06? The Parcells era in Dallas produced a 34-30 record and two NFC wild-card losses. This would not be a rebuild for Belichick, however. Would Jones let Belichick do his thing? The Patriots aren’t on the Cowboys’ schedule for 2025, at least not yet. No other candidate on this list is better than Belichick. It's a matter of what Belichick, who fits well as a studio analyst, wants at this point in his life.
Current NFL head coaches
Sean Payton, Broncos coach
Payton, 60, has been linked to Dallas in the past given his three-year stint as an offensive assistant with the Cowboys from 2003-05. Payton is a consistent winner with a .617 winning percentage between stints with New Orleans, where he won Super Bowl XLIV, and Denver, where he is working with first-round pick Bo Nix. A move like this would likely require trading draft picks given Payton seems to have Denver on the right path. Would Jones and Payton work out? Jones has been outward in his praise for Payton, and if the timing is right, it would be worth it.
NFL coordinators
Brian Flores, Vikings defensive coordinator
Flores, 43, was 24-25 as the head coach for Miami from 2019-21. However, he is a plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit against the NFL, alleging racial discrimination with claims against the Giants, Broncos, and Texans. Flores was with the Steelers in 2022 and has emerged as one of the hottest coordinators for his work with the Vikings this season. Minnesota ranks in the top 10 in scoring defense, and Flores is earning another shot as a head coach. It could work with Dallas if Jones wants a defensive-minded leader.
Bobby Slowik, Texans offensive coordinator
Slowik, 37, is going to be on a lot of these lists in both college and the pros. He has become a hot offensive coordinator for Houston, and his work with franchise quarterback C.J. Stroud continues to produce results for an up-and-coming AFC contender. Slowik does not have head-coaching experience, and Jones tends to lean on that with the exception of Jason Garrett, who was a former Dallas quarterback. While Slowik might be that young and energetic hire, he isn’t the only under-40 coordinator worth looking at.
Ben Johnson, Lions offensive coordinator
This assumes Dan Campbell, a former Cowboys tight end, would be too difficult to pull away from Detroit. Johnson, 38, has emerged as one of the best offensive coordinators in the NFL. The Lions have ranked fifth in the NFL in scoring each of the past two seasons, and Johnson runs a creative mix with veteran quarterback Jared Goff and a power-running game. That is the blend that would play well in Dallas. It is a huge first coaching job, but Johnson isn’t going to get past the next cycle.
Kliff Kingsbury, Commanders offensive coordinator
Kingsbury, 45, had a rough four-year stint with the Cardinals that produced a 28-37-1 record. He spent a season at USC, and the early returns as Washington’s offensive coordinator with Jayden Daniels have been good. Would Dallas be a more comfortable NFL job for Kingsbury? He would be more of a longshot given the other candidates on this list.
College coaches
Lincoln Riley, USC coach
Riley, 41, is a constant in these NFL coaching carousel lists, and he would be a similar fit as Kingsbury. He has been a hyper-successful college coach at Oklahoma and USC, but he is even better with quarterbacks. Four NFL starting quarterbacks — Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts, and Caleb Williams — played for Riley in college. Hurts played in a Super Bowl. Mayfield and Murray are in the top 10 in passer rating this year. Williams has time to grow in Chicago. You want to get the most out of Dak Prescott? Riley could be that coach, and a return home to his native state in this fashion has always made sense.
Kirby Smart, Georgia coach
Would Smart, 48, be interested? Georgia is 45-2 since the start of the 2021 season and that program is set up for success in the long term, and he is making an annual salary of $13 million. Andy Reid, Payton, and Sean McVay are the only coaches who make more. Yet, if you listen to a Smart press conference, you can hear echoes of Jimmy Johnson. Smart has managed the most-talented FBS program at Georgia over the past three seasons, and that has led to two national championships in three seasons. Smart wins with the same formula as Johnson — a mix of defense, running the football, and efficient quarterback play. Jones won Super Bowls with Johnson and Barry Switzer. Would he go back to the well last time?
