Dexter Lawrence Eyeing Giants Extension
Displaying considerable growth as a pass rusher, Dexter Lawrence has put together his best season. The only piece of the Odell Beckham Jr. trade left on either team has offered a breakout year and is on track for what should be a monster payday.
Lawrence would prefer that contract come from the Giants. While he did not follow Kadarius Toney‘s lead by having a detailed layout of the New York skyline tattooed on his back, a Giants tattoo adorns Lawrence’s arm. Unlike Toney, it seems improbable Lawrence will need to consider any potential alterations anytime soon.
“I do want to be a Giant forever. I got it tatted on me,” Lawrence said, via the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy. “I love this organization, the people in it and what it means. I grew up a Giants fan. If it is meant to be, it will be.”
The Giants drafted Lawrence with the first-round pick obtained from the Browns in the Beckham deal in 2019. With Beckham, Olivier Vernon, Kevin Zeitler and Jabrill Peppers no longer with the Browns or Giants, Lawrence is the only part of that trade still in place. He has joined other Dave Gettleman-era investments — like Saquon Barkley, Daniel Jones, Andrew Thomas and Leonard Williams — in driving the would-be rebuilding team to a playoff berth in the Brian Daboll–Joe Schoen regime’s first season.
Lawrence, 25, graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 interior defensive lineman this season. The Clemson product totaled 7.5 sacks and 28 quarterback hits, smashing career-high numbers, in his first season under DC Don Martindale. The 342-pound defender also forced two fumbles and batted down three passes this season, a campaign that will put him in position to be one of the players set to bridge the gap between Aaron Donald and the field at D-tackle.
Lawrence, Jeffery Simmons, Quinnen Williams and Daron Payne are candidates to bridge what is now a staggering gap between Donald ($31.7MM per year) and the field ($21MM AAV). Leonard Williams is one of the two players on a $21MM-per-year deal, complicating Big Blue’s path a bit. Williams’ contract expires after the 2023 season, and the Giants would have the franchise tag as a Lawrence last resort come 2024. The Giants are projected to hold nearly $60MM in cap space next year, good enough for third-most — as of mid-January — in the league. CBS Sports’ Joel Corry said (via Dunleavy) Lawrence waiting until after Simmons and Quinnen Williams sign would be a better option for his extension value, but this season has undoubtedly driven his stock skyward.
The 2023 offseason will be a busy one for the Giants, who have Barkley and Jones looming as free agents-to-be. Once those dominoes fall, however, Lawrence figures to move to center stage for Schoen. The rookie GM has some interesting decisions to make thanks to a host of the previous regime’s first-rounders either resurfacing as impact players (Barkley) or taking leaps (Lawrence, Jones) this season.
Broncos Schedule Sean Payton Interview
The Broncos will be the first team to meet with Sean Payton during this year’s hiring period. The parties will get together for an interview in Los Angeles.
Payton surfaced on the Broncos’ radar weeks ago, and the team will meet with the former Saints HC on Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Broncos are not the only team expected to interview Payton this year, but they were the first to receive permission from the Saints to do so.
[RELATED: 2023 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker]
Prior to the Cardinals and Texans receiving permission from the Saints to interview Payton, the Broncos discussed the Super Bowl-winning coach with the NFC South club. The sides reportedly agreed on compensation in the event of a trade for Payton’s rights — a first-round pick and more — but it is not known exactly what it would cost for Denver to pry the highly regarded play-caller from New Orleans. No coach has been traded since the Chiefs acquired Herm Edwards from the Jets (for a fourth-round pick) in 2006. Bigger prices for HCs (Jon Gruden, Bill Belichick, Bill Parcells, Mike Holmgren) were required over the previous decade, however.
In the team’s first coaching search headed by its new ownership group, the Broncos are preparing to be “ultra aggressive” in landing a leader this time. The Broncos went with first-time HCs with each of its past three hires — either brought in by John Elway or current GM George Paton — but they are prioritizing experience this time around. Paton is part of the Broncos’ search, but new CEO Greg Penner is running it. Through a football lens, that is a rather interesting setup. But Penner has effectively stripped some of Paton’s power, announcing the next head coach will report to him and not the third-year GM.
Payton and Jim Harbaugh are believed to be the frontrunners here, with Cowboys DC Dan Quinn in the mix as well. Though, it remains to be seen if either Payton or Harbaugh are ultimately interested. Rob Walton‘s checkbook may well impact that. The Broncos have interviewed Harbaugh, DC Ejiro Evero, ex-Stanford HC David Shaw and former Colts and Lions HC Jim Caldwell. They are planning to meet with Rams DC Raheem Morris and 49ers DC DeMeco Ryans as well. The Broncos’ previously reported Morris meeting will take place later Tuesday in L.A., Schefter tweets. The team does not have any other interviews scheduled, Mike Klis of 9News tweets, adding that Quinn and Ryans are expected to interview next week as well.
No more Payton interviews are scheduled, but Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football adds all five HC-needy teams have reached out to the Saints about their former coach (Twitter link). Cardinals and Texans meetings could follow, and the prospect of Payton waiting out the Chargers or Cowboys playoff results — to see if jobs he was initially linked to open up — should be in play as well. Payton staying at FOX and waiting until next year will obviously be a consideration as well.
NFL Names Atlanta As Neutral Site For AFC Championship Game
Two days before the playoffs, the NFL announced the neutral site that could play host to the AFC championship game. Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium would host a potential Chiefs-Bills conference title tilt, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
This NFC venue emerged as the host after it became known Indianapolis and Detroit indicated their stadiums were not available. This stadium would only come into play if the AFC’s top two seeds — Kansas City and Buffalo — meet to decide the conference’s Super Bowl representative.
While an outdoor stadium was believed to be a consideration for this unique circumstance, as both the Chiefs and Bills hail from cold-weather cities, only indoor sites were mentioned during this process. Mercedes-Benz Stadium hosted Super Bowl LIII and has been the site for CFP national championship games.
Should the Bills and Chiefs reach the conference championship game, it would be Buffalo’s second relocated contest this season. A snowstorm moved a November Browns-Bills contest to Detroit. While weather issues have moved games before, a conference title game being relocated is new territory for the league. But the owners narrowly approved the NFL’s proposal on a compromise, as the Bills controlled their own destiny for the AFC’s No. 1 seed prior to the Damar Hamlin injury and hospitalization leading to the cancellation of Week 17’s Bills-Bengals matchup.
Although the Bengals launched a protest of the playoff modification, they only objected to the coin-toss component — which affected the AFC North teams and which is no longer in play, thanks to Cincinnati’s Week 18 win over Baltimore — in the proposal. The Bengals, Bills and Chiefs were all believed to be fine with the relocated AFC title game, though the Chiefs abstained from voting. The Bengals also had a narrow path to the No. 1 seed going into Week 17, but the Chiefs’ Week 18 win would have prevented that regardless of a Bills-Bengals result. As such, this relocation measure will only take effect if the Bills and Chiefs meet for a third straight postseason.
Both those matchups — a 2020 AFC title game blowout and 2021 divisional-round classic — occurred at Arrowhead Stadium and went the Chiefs’ way. The Bills (13-3) have not held home-field advantage since the 1993 season (when they beat the Chiefs to book a Super Bowl XXVIII berth), and because win percentage gave the 14-3 Chiefs the edge, the AFC East champions are set up for a tougher road to the AFC title game.
Should the Bills and Bengals win their respective wild-card games, as they are heavily favored to do, they will meet in Round 2. The Chiefs will face a less-accomplished team — likely the winner of the Chargers-Jaguars matchup — despite the Bills having defeated them in Kansas City this season, still providing the top-seeded team an advantage despite the NFL stepping in to prevent the Bills from playing in K.C.
Rumors of the NFL using this as a trial balloon for neutral-site conference championship games have emerged, and while that would be intriguing (and similar to college football’s setup), it would minimize the importance of obtaining home-field advantage and thus devaluing the regular season to a degree. But if a third Patrick Mahomes–Josh Allen playoff clash commences, the league will see this compromise/experiment come to fruition.
Cardinals To Interview Vance Joseph For HC Job
Rumors of Vance Joseph being on the radar for a promotion in Arizona circulated last week, and the Cardinals are indeed interested in seeing what their defensive coordinator could provide the team as a head coach.
The Cardinals plan to interview Joseph for their HC job next week, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter). Joseph, who has been Arizona’s DC since the team hired Kliff Kingsbury in 2019, has been an interviewee elsewhere since being fired as the Broncos’ HC following the 2018 season.
Although the Cardinals have a history of promoting from within at their GM position — a blueprint that may still be in place — the team has reached outside the organization for its head coaches. That common path has included mostly offense-based HCs this century. The Cardinals have gone offense (Kingsbury, Bruce Arians, Ken Whisenhunt and Dennis Green) with four of their past five HC hires. Only Steve Wilks, whom the team made a one-and-done after the 2018 season, came from the defensive side of the ball over the past 19 years.
Joseph, 50, is well-liked in the Cardinals’ building and, Kingsbury ties aside, may be one of the frontrunners for the position. Of course, Joseph almost certainly would not outflank Sean Payton. The Saints granted the Cards permission to interview Payton on Wednesday, generating intrigue regarding this year’s hottest coaching free agent. But the team will explore its options, as Payton is far from a lock to agree to terms with Arizona.
After helming back-to-back double-digit loss seasons in Denver, Joseph oversaw a last-ranked Arizona defense in 2019. The team showed considerable improvement in 2020 and ’21, however, ranking in the top 13 in both points and yardage in each campaign. This year’s Cards defense regressed, ranking 31st in points per game allowed (26.4) and slotting 24th in DVOA.
Michael Bidwill said he hopes to replace Steve Keim before landing on a head coach. A host of GM candidates have emerged for the team, including in-house staffers Quentin Harris and Adrian Wilson. In the wake of Keim stepping away from the team, Harris and Wilson shared his responsibilities. It would be interesting to see if the Cardinals, given the turbulent year they just had, would legitimately consider an in-house GM and a holdover HC.
Raiders To Gauge Derek Carr Trade Market; QB Bids Farewell
The Raiders are set to meet with Derek Carr soon, and they will do so with the intent of exploring a trade. Not long after Carr’s benching, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports the Raiders have begun the process of evaluating the trade market (Twitter link).
This has been the expected path since the Raiders demoted Carr ahead of Week 17, leading to the nine-year starting quarterback stepping away from the team. The Raiders have just more than a month until Carr’s $40.4MM guarantee vests. As of now, that figure becomes guaranteed three days after Super Bowl LVII (Feb. 15).
Shortly after Rapoport indicated a trade route will be explored, Carr posted a goodbye announcement (via Twitter). In it, he addressed previous comments of pursuing retirement if the Raiders did not want him. As expected, retirement is not in Carr’s plans.
“I once said that if I’m not a Raider I would rather be at home, and I meant that. But I never envisioned it ending this way,” Carr said in a lengthy statement thanking Raiders fans. “That fire burning inside of me to win a championship still rages. I look forward to a new city and a new team, who, no matter the circumstance, will get everything I have.”
[RELATED: Davante Adams Plans To Stick With Raiders]
A number of teams figure to be in on Carr, even with that lofty guarantee figure looming. The Jets, Saints, Commanders and Panthers come to mind, with a PFR poll last month pegging Gang Green as the clubhouse leaders. Other teams like the Colts, Titans and perhaps the Buccaneers — in the event Tom Brady either retires for a second time or leaves as a free agent — could be on the Carr radar as well.
Carr holds a no-trade clause, giving the 31-year-old passer some control during this process. The Raiders included the clause in their 2022 extension, which featured the guarantee vesting date allowing the franchise to move on if Carr did not prove a fit with the new Josh McDaniels– and Dave Ziegler-run operation. Mark Davis gave the new Raiders regime carte blanche when it came to handling Carr, but the HC-GM combo was believed to be close to keeping Carr as the starter through the end of the season. The owner, who is believed to be lukewarm on Carr, stepped in and may well have pushed the situation to this point.
As could be expected given their McDaniels hire, the Raiders are already being connected to Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo. This marks the second time the Raiders have been linked to Brady in free agency. They pursued the all-time great in 2020, but Jon Gruden deemed the longtime Patriots cornerstone too old even at that point. Wooing a quarterback in advance of an age-46 season will obviously be unprecedented, though Garoppolo is Carr’s age and could serve as a longer-term bridge.
If the Raiders are unable to trade Carr, it is believed they will release him rather than pay that $40.4MM. Despite the team giving Carr a three-year, $121.4MM extension just last year, a release — thanks to the uniquely structured deal — would result in just a $5.6MM dead-money charge. Carr’s deal calls for a guaranteed $32.9MM base salary and 2024 and ’25 bases of $41.9MM and $41.2MM, respectively. Just $7.5MM of the 2024 base salary is guaranteed; the 2025 year is nonguaranteed.
The quarterback trade market has heated up in recent years, producing blockbuster deals that sent franchise cornerstones like Matthew Stafford, Russell Wilson and Matt Ryan out of town. Deshaun Watson fetched even more in compensation. It appears Carr will be another high-profile passer on the move.
Bears Hire Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren As President
Kevin Warren surfaced as a candidate for the Bears’ president and CEO role recently, and the Big Ten commissioner is expected to make the jump back to the NFL.
The Bears plan to hire Warren, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). The Bears have since announced the hire. Warren will succeed longtime Bears president Ted Phillips, who announced intentions to retire before this past season. Warren has an extensive history in the NFL, including with two NFC North franchises (the Lions and Vikings), but has been the Big Ten commissioner since 2019. The new hire will start work April 17, Pete Thamel of ESPN.com tweets.
This will be the first Bears change in this position in the 21st century. Phillips had served in this role since 1999 but indicated in September he was leaving the team after 40 years in various roles. Warren will come in from the college ranks, but he has more than 20 years of experience in the NFL.
Warren, 59, became the first Black commissioner of the Big Ten and helmed the conference during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to numerous schedule and format adjustments for all sports over multiple years. The conference waffled on its 2020 football schedule, initially postponing the season to the spring. Warren then backtracked, leading to the league starting its season Oct. 24 — well after the southern power conferences began their respective campaigns. The Pac-12 joined the Big Ten in beginning its season late that fall. The Big Ten during this period also reached agreements on additions of USC and UCLA, which represent two of the most shocking realignment dominoes to fall in history.
Prior to accepting the Bears position, Warren remained on his original contract as Big Ten commish. He will join a Bears team that recently clinched the No. 1 overall pick for the first time since 1947. The Bears launched a rebuild effort last year, hiring Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus to lead that effort. Poles gutted Chicago’s veteran-laden defense, with trades involving Khalil Mack, Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn playing a role in the team finishing 3-14 and securing the top pick.
Warren has been mentioned as a possible Roger Goodell successor down the road, per Mark Maske of the Washington Post, with Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio indicating the same while including Broncos co-owner and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as another rumored option (Twitter links). Having Warren, who in Minnesota became the first Black COO in NFL history, back in the NFL could allow for an easier commissioner transition at some point.
Ahead of his Big Ten commitment, Warren spent nearly 15 years with the Vikings. He finished his Minnesota run working as the team’s COO. He spent three years with the Lions in the early 2000s and began his NFL career with the Rams in the late ’90s.
Jets, OC Mike LaFleur Part Ways
Mike LaFleur is out. According to Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter), the Jets are moving on from their offensive coordinator. Connor Hughes of SNYtv first tweeted that the Jets were allowing the coach to “pursue other opportunities,” while NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport says (on Twitter) the two sides “mutually” parted ways.
According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini (on Twitter), teams have inquired on LaFleur‘s availability in recent days. Hughes adds that the Jets spoke with their offensive coordinator over the past few days, with the two sides ultimately deciding that it was best to move on.
This officially ends the will-they, won’t-they saga in New York. As the Jets’ playoff hopes dwindled and with the offensive averaging 15 points per game over the final three weeks, there was rampant speculation that the Jets could look to make a coaching change on the offensive side of the ball. Head coach Robert Saleh, who is a longtime friend of LaFleur, backed his OC in recent weeks, noting the organization’s committed “to go young everywhere – coaches, players, staff, everybody.”
The rumors seemed to hit a peak earlier today when Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork tweeted that LaFleur and the organization had parted way. Jets beat reporters were quick to refute that report, with Hughes tweeting tonight that the Jets’ initially planned to keep LaFleur as their offensive coordinator. Indeed, a source told Josina Anderson that the discussions were finalized “over the last couple of hours” (Twitter link).
The Jets will begin their OC search tomorrow, according to Costello (on Twitter). Saleh previously said that he wants to hire a veteran offensive coach that can fill the role previously held by Greg Knapp, per Cimini (on Twitter). It’s uncertain if he’ll be seeking similar qualities in a new offensive coordinator. Any new addition will have immense pressure to improve an offense that has major question marks at quarterback.
LaFleur‘s two years in New York proved to be a disappointment, with the Jets ranking mostly in the back-half of the league in most offensive categories. Still, as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently wrote, LaFleur is respected around the NFL for “his play designs and understanding of the Shanahan system,” with the coach having spent four years as the 49ers passing game coordinator before joining Saleh in New York. There are three other squads with offensive coordinator openings, and if LaFleur is already generating interest, there’s a chance he lands on his feet relatively quickly.
The Jets will have a handful of additional coaching vacancies to fill. Fowler tweets that the organization will also be looking to hire a replacement for wide receivers coach Miles Austin, who is facing a suspension for violating the NFL’s gambling policy, and an assistant defensive line coach.
Broncos Interview Jim Caldwell, David Shaw; Latest On Sean Payton, Jim Harbaugh Pursuits
9:35pm: Add another list to the Broncos’ head coaching search. Denver interviewed former Stanford head coach David Shaw on Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Shaw recently resigned from his post at Stanford after two consecutive 3-9 seasons. Despite the dismal finish to his career, Shaw left the Cardinal with a 96-54 record as a head coach.
Before becoming a mainstay in Stanford, Shaw held assistant coaching roles with the Raiders and Ravens coaching quarterbacks and wide receivers. His success at the NFL level combined with his winning tradition at Stanford made Shaw a hot commodity in the NFL, especially after the immediate NFL success of his Stanford predecessor, Jim Harbaugh, following his rise to the pros.
NFL teams will finally have their opportunity to kick the tires on Shaw, and it appears the Broncos are the first to do so. It would certainly be an interesting fit as Shaw has connections to fellow Stanford alumni Penner and Rice.
12:52pm: The Broncos added another name to their HC search. They are meeting with former Colts and Lions coach Jim Caldwell on Wednesday, Josina Anderson of CBS Sports tweets.
Caldwell’s interview will be in-person, 9News’ Mike Klis adds (via Twitter). A fixture on coaching carousels in recent years, Caldwell has already met with the Panthers. Caldwell’s AFC championship in Indianapolis and two playoff berths in Detroit aside, his entry into this race qualifies as a lower-profile development considering the other names connected to the Broncos.
Sean Payton has spoken with the Broncos, and an interview is expected. The team can interview Payton beginning Jan. 17. But some doubt regarding Payton’s interest in this job has emerged. The Broncos may want Payton more than vice versa, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com notes, and colleague Jeremy Fowler adds the prospect of a long-term Russell Wilson partnership has generated some skepticism around the league.
Wilson had the Saints on his 2021 list of acceptable trade destinations — before the Broncos landed on that list and became his preference — and Payton, from his FOX analyst role, offered some possible solutions to address Wilson’s stunning performance drop-off this season. The 16-year Saints HC is expected to be choosey, though he has said on multiple occasions he will likely coach again. Payton has also analyzed every team’s depth chart in preparation for a potential NFL return. A franchise quarterback is not a requirement for Payton, Jeff Howe of The Athletic writes (subscription required), but a path to one would move the needle. Although Wilson showed signs of his pre-Denver self to close the season, he probably does not qualify as a franchise QB after the year he had.
Payton would also be expected to bring his own personnel staff to Denver, Graziano adds, which could spell more trouble for Broncos GM George Paton. New Denver ownership’s curious plan of having both Paton and the next head coach report to ownership also could sound alarm bells for Payton, Howe adds, though that might not be too much of a concern given the price the Broncos will need to pay to lure Payton. It would not exactly be expected Denver would hire a new GM that is not approved by Payton, for whom the team may well need to trade a first-round pick.
A report Tuesday placed Harbaugh as an early frontrunner, but Fowler clarifies the Michigan HC is behind Payton. If the latter turns down the Broncos, Harbaugh will be the favorite. Harbaugh is rumored to be prepared to bring Tom Gamble, the former 49ers player personnel director who is now with the Wolverines, with him, per Fowler.
Unlike the Panthers, who were believed to be confused when Harbaugh reached out to them, Tom Pelissero said during a Dan Patrick Show appearance the Broncos contacted Harbaugh (video link). New CEO Greg Penner and co-owner Condoleezza Rice‘s ties to Stanford — where Harbaugh coached from 2007-10 — are driving this interest. The Broncos have done extensive research on the former 49ers coach, Fowler adds.
The Colts were rumored to be interested in Harbaugh, but they have not interviewed him yet. It would not surprise if such a meeting took place, with Fowler adding the Colts job appeals to Harbaugh. Jim Irsay‘s overreaching last year has made the Colts job less of a draw for some, Howe adds, but Harbaugh did play for the Colts for four seasons in the 1990s and holds a spot in their ring of honor.
Caldwell, 67, has been out of the league since a Dolphins one-off as an assistant HC in 2019. He joins Payton as an offense-oriented candidate. The rest of the Broncos’ candidate list includes defensive staffers — Ejiro Evero, Dan Quinn, DeMeco Ryans, Raheem Morris. Among this lot, Quinn, who interviewed for the Denver job last year, looks to have the best shot of landing the position, Pelissero adds. Quinn has ties to Paton dating back to their Dolphins days, though he appears to be a fallback option at this point.
NFC Injury Rumors: Rams, Commanders, Penning, Swift
Rams rookie safety Russ Yeast endured a scary moment on Sunday in the team’s loss to the Seahawks, according to Sarah Barshop of ESPN. The seventh-round pick earned the first start of his career in place of Nick Scott, who was placed on injured reserve last week.
In the game, Yeast suffered a pulmonary contusion and needed to be taken to the hospital via ambulance. Head coach Sean McVay told reporters that Yeast was in stable condition but would stay in the hospital overnight. Yeast was reportedly scheduled to return to Los Angeles on Monday, according to The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue.
Following the dramatic events around Bills safety Damar Hamlin, another cardiac event requiring a hospital visit was the last thing the NFL wanted to see in Week 18.
Here are a few other injury rumors from around the NFC:
- As the Commanders‘ season came to an end, Washington decided to address some players’ injuries, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post. Head coach Ron Rivera informed the media before their final regular season matchup that running back Antonio Gibson underwent surgery to repair a fracture in his foot. Additionally, defensive tackle John Ridgeway tore a pectoral muscle in the team’s season finale against the Cowboys. He’ll have the full offseason to recover.
- Saints first round rookie tackle Trevor Penning missed much of his first NFL season with a foot injury. What was initially thought to be a “bad case of turf toe” ended up being a torn ligament in his foot, resulting in him missing the first 11 games of his debut season. Penning would eventually work his way back and earn some snaps as a backup lineman before earning the first start of his career in Week 18. Unfortunately, a rough start for the Northern Iowa product has gotten even tougher as he suffered a Lisfranc injury in the season finale against the Panthers, according to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. Penning faces a long recovery of approximately five to six months, but if he can come back by June, he should be able to make it back for part of the offseason training program in New Orleans.
- Early in the season, Lions running back D’Andre Swift suffered a high ankle sprain and a separated shoulder that would dog him for the rest of the year. Despite playing through those ailments for much of the season, there doesn’t appear to be any need for surgery in the offseason, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Swift will reportedly meet with medical professionals in the next few weeks but is under the impression that, come next season, he will be fully healthy and ready to go.
Latest On Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy’s Job Security
Mike McCarthy has helped guide the Cowboys to consecutive 12-win seasons, but if the team fails to make any noise in the playoffs, some have wondered if the head coach will be afforded a long leash. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones seemed to shut down that sentiment during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas yesterday, with the executive giving his head coach a vote of confidence.
“No. I don’t even want to … No. That’s it,” Jones said (via ESPN’s Todd Archer). “I don’t need to go into all the pluses or minuses. I’ve got a lot more to evaluate Mike McCarthy on than this playoff game.
“I can’t tell you how much confidence I’ve got in Mike and our coaching staff of being on top of where we are with this team right now. They’ve got every nuance. They understand every frailty that we might have or we might have shown Sunday [in the loss to Washington]. They’ve got everything in their grasp and in their understanding, and I have complete confidence in this coaching staff. It’s outstanding. We’ve got a great chance to go down there and have success.”
McCarthy’s first season in Dallas was a dud, and following a 12-win campaign in 2021, the team proceeded to lose their first playoff game. The Cowboys are in the postseason following another 12-win season, but as Archer points out, that kind of success hasn’t always led to job security in Dallas. Chan Gailey was the last Cowboys head coach to lead the team to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, but he was let go following a second-straight playoff disappointment. Jones has since admitted that the Gailey firing was a mistake, and it appears he won’t make a rash decision on McCarthy.
As ESPN’s Dan Graziano recently wrote, in recent years, we can take Jones at his word when it comes to head coach proclamations. However, the writer also cautions that an ugly loss to Tampa Bay on Monday could change the executive’s mind. In fact, sources tell Graziano that they wouldn’t be surprised if Dallas ends up making a change at head coach.
McCarthy still has two years remaining on his contract. The 59-year-old previously had a long stint in Green Bay that saw him win 125 regular season games and 10 playoff contests, including a victory in Super Bowl XLV. The Cowboys, meanwhile, haven’t made it past the Divisional Round of the playoffs since 1995.