The Dallas Cowboys are keeping coach McCarthy for the year 2024, but he is not getting a significant vote of confidence after that.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Cowboys have no plans to make any adjustments to McCarthy’s contract as he enters the final year of the deal.
The reason is that owner Jerry Jones believes that the added challenge of being in the final year of one’s contract can make people give out their best.
There had been some speculation that the Cowboys might tack an extra year onto McCarthy’s contract, if only to avoid the appearance of him being a lame duck.
There is precedent for Jones in operating this way, as previous coach Jason Garrett was put in the same situation twice. The first time, he went 12-4 in 2014, but the second time, he went 8-8 and was not brought back.
An extra contract year was unlikely to change the narrative around McCarthy anyway. The coach’s regular season record with the Cowboys is what saved his job, but it’s fair to assume Jones will want to see progress in the playoffs in 2024 if he is to extend McCarthy’s stay.
