Candidates to Take Mike McCarthy’s Place as Coach of the Dallas Cowboys?
Mike McCarthy’s position on the hot seat is well known. With a record of 3-6 and starting quarterback Dak Prescott out for the remainder of the season, the Dallas Cowboys are having a forgettable season.
The potential next coach of the Cowboys is currently the focus of a lot of attention. Although McCarthy’s five-year contract is still in effect, it expires at the end of the current campaign. The fact that owner Jerry Jones refuses to buy out coaches early, even though he is in charge of the most valuable team in the world, is reminiscent of the Jason Garrett era.
After leading the Cowboys to a 12-4 record and an NFC East championship, Garrett, who started the 2014 season as a “lame duck,” was granted a five-year deal. Garrett was in a similar predicament in 2019, but he was not given an extension following his fourth 8-8 season.
With McCarthy and his staff in the last year of their contracts, Jones carried on the tradition of coaches starting “lame duck” seasons. After the 2019 season, all indications are that McCarthy will meet the same end as Garrett.
In light of this, who might the Cowboys look to in 2025? During a radio interview on 105.3, Jones gave the most recent ammunition when he was questioned about former tight end Jason Witten’s potential as an NFL head coach. The Dallas Fan.
Jones said to the station on Friday, “Yes, without hesitation.” He has something that you are unable to sketch. He reminds me a lot of our other tight end, Dan Campbell, who is currently the head coach in Detroit.
Witten is presently the coach at Liberty Christian High School in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Argyle, where he guided the team to a 2023 state championship. Despite all of his achievements as a player, Witten has never held an NFL coaching position. Before taking over in Detroit, however, Campbell had been a coach in the league for more than ten years. To put it plainly, Witten would be making a big leap.
Another former athlete who has been floated as a contender is Deion Sanders, who is currently having success in college. Jones has favored Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who played for the Cowboys before becoming a coach and serving as the team’s offensive coordinator from 2019 to 22. Kliff Kingsbury, a former Cardinals coach and offensive coordinator for the Commanders, is another name worth mentioning.
Bill Belichick will always be on the list of potential candidates, of course. Given that he is the best football coach of this generation, one might ponder what might have happened if he had been hired as the Cowboys’ coach. However, in three of his previous four seasons in New England, Belichick also experienced losing seasons.
All of those names will generate a lot of discussion and talk show segments. And who knows, Jones will make the final call. One of them might become the future coach.
Former Titans coach Mike Vrabel is the one name that would make more sense than anyone else’s.
The favorite to take over as the next Cowboys coach is Vrabel. Given that he won two AFC South championships and made it to the playoffs three times during his six seasons with the Titans, Vrabel would also be considered a home run hiring.
Additionally, Vrabel would be the Cowboys’ first defensive-minded head coach since Wade Phillips was hired in 2007. They have since brought in a proven winner (McCarthy) after trying the potential up-and-coming offensive mastermind (Garrett). Although both had varied degrees of success, the Cowboys have been in the Super Bowl for 29 years.
During that time, the Cowboys have gone through six coaches. Perhaps Lucky No. 7 brings the franchise back to its former grandeur.
After the Dallas Cowboys suffered a terrible 3-6 start to the 2024 season, many of its supporters are eager for head coach Mike McCarthy to be fired by Jerry Jones.
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After their heartbreaking home playoff defeat to the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round last offseason, there were numerous reports that McCarthy would be let go; but, the club chose to give him another season.
The 61-year-old head coach will not be on the Cowboys’ field in 2025, and given Jones’s personality, he will want to make a big impression on his future boss.
Dan Lanning, the head coach of Oregon, has been floated around the NFL for the past few weeks as a potential candidate for the 2025 head coaching cycle, according to a story released this week by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
With the exception of Jim Harbaugh, the college-to-pro coaching pipeline has somewhat halted. However, I’ve heard about Oregon’s Dan Lanning from a few league members in recent weeks.
Lanning is just in his third season as Oregon’s head coach and is a rising star in the sport. There is a good chance he will stay with the Ducks because he is creating a winning culture, but if not, the Cowboys might be the team to sign him.
It’s Possible That Dan Lanning Will Join the Dallas Cowboys
According to Fantasy Points’ Scott Barrett, who made his 2025 NFL head coaching hiring predictions on X, Lanning will be hired by the Cowboys.
Just speculating
Giants: Head Coach Belichick, Bill
Bears: HC Jets, Todd Monken: HC Vrabel, Mike
Saints: HC Raiders: Steve Spagnuolo HC Jaguars’ Vic Fangio: HC Ben Johnson
Cowboys: HC Lanning, Dan
Among them are Kliff Kingsbury (Bengals?) and Brian Flores (Browns?).
— November 17, 2024, Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB)
It would be fantastic to see Lanning move to Dallas, and the Cowboys have to make every effort to acquire the 38-year-old head coach.
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The Cowboys would be getting a coach who understands what it takes to win every time you go onto the field since Lanning is a winner and has worked under both Kirby Smart and Nick Saban.
It’s unfortunate that a fantastic college football coach may be leaving, but it would be entertaining to watch him in Dallas.
