I mean, it's too early to call this putt.
Maybe he kept Kellen because he genuinely thinks he's a brilliant coach and he plans to make good use of him scheming our offense and calling our plays. Like how Parcells hired Sean Payton, who he had no experience with but who he'd noticed and respected and he knew he could probably ride him and get some results.
Or maybe his pro-Kellen stance was entirely a calculated move to appease Jerry in order to get hired in the first place.
Nobody who interviewed for the job was going to get it by second-guessing Dak, Zeke and the running game's importance, or the wunderkind coach Jerry aggressively promoted who had a promising first season and who Jerry surely thinks has a bright future. I'm sure McCarthy talked up those 3 guys. We'll find out later how much he meant those things and how much he blew smoke up Jerry's butt in the interview to get the job at any cost.