Big Mac now has some leverage. Can he use it?

[Bobhaze]

Whatever anyone here thinks about Mike McCarthy as a HC, this guy has done a good job keeping his players focused and motivated despite a rash of injuries, a roster that was way less talented than last year, and an owner who hung him out over a cliff without a future.

Despite all that, this team played like last night was a playoff game. The undermanned defense (missing 4 starters) was hitting the bucs like freight trains and swarming to the ball like their hair was in fire. The offense (with 2 starters out and a star WR with an A/C joint needing surgery) made big plays when it had to.

Bottom line: This team looked motivated. Four hours after learning they are eliminated from the playoffs.

So….it appears to me that suddenly Mike McCarthy, who looked like a dead man walking when we were 3-7, now has the inside track to be extended. With Bill Belechick now recruiting teenagers to play at North Carolina, the scenario of a Belechick run as HC in Big D is dead. (I never for one second thought Bill B would ever agree to come here to the Jerry circus anyway)

Now the question becomes, will Jerry now once again see Big Mac as the future? If so, McCarthy needs to use his sudden surge of leverage wisely. If I were in his shoes, I would be negotiating for these changes:

• FIRST: Currently, McCarthy is the 16th highest paid NFL HC. He should seek to get paid in at least the top 10. He’s only making $4 million which is third in the NFC East. He makes less than Dan Quinn in Washington. Jerry is notoriously cheap with coaches. Make him pay you at least $10 mil a season.
• SECOND: He should have it in his contract that he hires his own assistants. Parcells and Jimmy both had that in their contracts. McCarthy has earned the right to have that as well. It’s what normal HCs in this league have - the right to decide who to go to battle with.
• THIRD: Negotiate a clause that gives him what other NFL coaches have: The right to be consulted before trades are made. When JJ famously traded for Trey Lance in 2023, Big Mac was blindsided. He probably would have told Jerry what is now obvious- Lance is not an NFL QB and his skill set does not fit McCarthy’s offense. Maybe he could have saved a wasted 4th round draft pick.

There are probably some more things Big Mac should ask for. We all know Jerry will never again allow a Cowboys HC to have the authority Jimmy did. But McCarthy has certainly earned the respect of his locker room and has seemingly made lemonade out of the lemons Jerry gave him this off-season. Shouldn’t that be worth something in return?

 

[thunderpimp91]

The main thing I would ask for if I were McCarthy (aside from a raise) is the assurance that they plan to actually commit to actually bringing in a couple free agents in the top 100 to help supplement the roster. Jerry's 4th round projects dont kill the team nearly as much as his failure to spend on players outside the organization.

 

[RS12]

Other than Jerry's comfort I don't see that much leverage. Too many playoff and big game failures. If he truly had leverage or was a hot commodity, he would already have a deal. Too many prisoners of the moment here.

 

[thunderpimp91]

Other than Jerry's comfort I don't see that much leverage. Too many playoff and big game failures. If he truly had leverage or was a hot commodity, he would already have a deal. Too many prisoners of the moment here.

You forgot that you're talking about Jerry and the Cowboys....They dont exactly have a history of locking anyone up early.

 

[CyberB0b]

I doubt he gets another shot anywhere else, so he will take what he gets, I would imagine.

 

[Praxit]

... With that win last night he might have gotten the extension, if he wants it.
The caveat in all this if Washington loses Dallas is still in playoff hunt.

If I go back to JG yrs. Those were dire times. 8-8 almost half his tenure.
At least with MM, we can almost see the team bound for playoffs.

Of course, post season is something else.

 

[big dog cowboy]

What leverage does McCarthy have? Did these problems suddenly get fixed?

Clock management
Play calling
Player management
Penalties (undisciplined)
Bad tackling
General unpreparedness for games

NO. Should he have been fired after GB? YES!

 

[Jipper]

I doubt he gets another shot anywhere else, so he will take what he gets, I would imagine.

Multiple playoff seasons, 12 win seasons, and has a SB on his resume - he would absolutely get another job

 

[Bobhaze]

The main thing I would ask for if I were McCarthy (aside from a raise) is the assurance that they plan to actually commit to actually bringing in a couple free agents in the top 100 to help supplement the roster. Jerry's 4th round projects dont kill the team nearly as much as his failure to spend on players outside the organization.

Excellent point.

 

[rambo2]

Whatever anyone here thinks about Mike McCarthy as a HC, this guy has done a good job keeping his players focused and motivated despite a rash of injuries, a roster that was way less talented than last year, and an owner who hung him out over a cliff without a future.

Despite all that, this team played like last night was a playoff game. The undermanned defense (missing 4 starters) was hitting the bucs like freight trains and swarming to the ball like their hair was in fire. The offense (with 2 starters out and a star WR with an A/C joint needing surgery) made big plays when it had to.

Bottom line: This team looked motivated. Four hours after learning they are eliminated from the playoffs.

So….it appears to me that suddenly Mike McCarthy, who looked like a dead man walking when we were 3-7, now has the inside track to be extended. With Bill Belechick now recruiting teenagers to play at North Carolina, the scenario of a Belechick run as HC in Big D is dead. (I never for one second thought Bill B would ever agree to come here to the Jerry circus anyway)

Now the question becomes, will Jerry now once again see Big Mac as the future? If so, McCarthy needs to use his sudden surge of leverage wisely. If I were in his shoes, I would be negotiating for these changes:

• FIRST: Currently, McCarthy is the 16th highest paid NFL HC. He should seek to get paid in at least the top 10. He’s only making $4 million which is third in the NFC East. He makes less than Dan Quinn in Washington. Jerry is notoriously cheap with coaches. Make him pay you at least $10 mil a season.
• SECOND: He should have it in his contract that he hires his own assistants. Parcells and Jimmy both had that in their contracts. McCarthy has earned the right to have that as well. It’s what normal HCs in this league have - the right to decide who to go to battle with.
• THIRD: Negotiate a clause that gives him what other NFL coaches have: The right to be consulted before trades are made. When JJ famously traded for Trey Lance in 2023, Big Mac was blindsided. He probably would have told Jerry what is now obvious- Lance is not an NFL QB and his skill set does not fit McCarthy’s offense. Maybe he could have saved a wasted 4th round draft pick.

There are probably some more things Big Mac should ask for. We all know Jerry will never again allow a Cowboys HC to have the authority Jimmy did. But McCarthy has certainly earned the respect of his locker room and has seemingly made lemonade out of the lemons Jerry gave him this off-season. Shouldn’t that be worth something in return?

Hey, they aren't so bad now. Finish strong. Very impressive to beat playoff teams with backups.

 

[Bobhaze]

Other than Jerry's comfort I don't see that much leverage. Too many playoff and big game failures. If he truly had leverage or was a hot commodity, he would already have a deal. Too many prisoners of the moment here.

Jerry’s comfort is HUGE. It‘s the first item on his list when looking for a HC. It’s NEVER abiut who gives us the best chance to win. Ever. (See Dave Campo, Chan Gailey, Wade Phillips, Jason Garrett)

 

[CyberB0b]

Multiple playoff seasons, 12 win seasons, and has a SB on his resume - he would absolutely get another job

He has 1 playoff win since 2016. This little surge has been fun with Cooper Rush, but the game has passed him by. He's the third oldest HC in the leauge. The time of old re-treads is over. The team is constantly unprepared and undisciplined.

 

[Bobhaze]

... With that win last night he might have gotten the extension, if he wants it.
The caveat in all this if Washington loses Dallas is still in playoff hunt.

If I go back to JG yrs. Those were dire times. 8-8 almost half his tenure.
At least with MM, we can almost see the team bound for playoffs.

Of course, post season is something else.

Dallas is out of the playoffs. When the Commodes won yesterday, we were eliminated.

What leverage does McCarthy have? Did these problems suddenly get fixed?

Clock management
Play calling
Player management
Penalties (undisciplined)
Bad tackling
General unpreparedness for games

NO. Should he have been fired after GB? YES!

Big Dog, you are right about all those things. But what is the alternative? Jerry won’t hire anyone that gives us the best chance to win. That’s never at the top of his priority list.

So what are the options? Kellen Moore? He may not even want this job and even if he did, I’m not at all convinced he’s an upgrade. Kliff Kingsbury has been mentioned but even though he’s an offensive genius, he’s never shown that he’s a good HC. (I’m a Texas Tech fan and Kliff had Mahomes for 3 years and only had one winning season with him) Mike Vrabel? He famously clashed with his GM at Tennessee over decions. Would Jerry ever hire a guy like that?

All I’m saying is what other realistic options are there?

 

[big dog cowboy]

Big Dog, you are right about all those things. But what is the alternative? Jerry won’t hire anyone that gives us the best chance to win. That’s never at the top of his priority list.

That's the unfortunate reality of situation. We have the richest owner in the league who claims to be desperate for even an appearance in the conference championship game. There is no salary cap for a HC or the staff. Yet he won't take advantage of that fact and get the best staff possible. It's something I will never understand.

 

[Reality]

My personal feelings aside, my guess is McCarthy will leverage it to try to get (or change) one or two big things he wants.

Jerry will realize he is stuck with Dak's contract for at least 1 to 2 years and Dak and McCarthy like each other, so Jerry will likely give in.

That said, I think Jerry will trade giving in to McCarthy's demands for a shorter prove-it contract (ex: 2 years instead of 3-4), and I think that will be the sticking point for McCarthy who is likely to get offers from at least one or two other teams in the off-season.

If I were McCarthy and I still wanted to coach here (which we honestly do not know is true at this time), I would tell Jerry you made me coach the last year of my current contract so if you want me back it will cost you 4-5 years and then they will settle on 3, assuming Jerry gives in to his demands on changes.

 

[blueblood70]

What leverage does McCarthy have? Did these problems suddenly get fixed?

Clock management
Play calling
Player management
Penalties (undisciplined)
Bad tackling
General unpreparedness for games

NO. Should he have been fired after GB? YES!

I agree with you ,how does he have more leverage now than just finishing up a campaign of 36 wins two division titles three straight playoff appearances and that doesn't get a new contract ??

but somehow we're supposed to be stuck in delusionville of what's going on the last five weeks ,no he did this in 2020 at the end of the year ,and this is what drives us crazy also somewhat the second-half of last year it takes him a half a year or more to start getting creative and desperate to start trying to win games instead of trying not to lose games..

that is obvious with Mike McCarthy is very conservative and vanilla he's Garrett 2.0 when it comes to using our starters more creatively, I'm pretty sure it's quite obvious to most people including Jerry 'cause even Jerry knocked the play calling and the route trees and all that stuff the first eight games of the year he said it it may have been ambiguous but he said it and we see it he literally with his starters please like he's trying to win with talent vanilla mono Amano go beat your man nonsense it doesn't scheme anything he didn't do it last year he didn't do it this year when we needed it most... I like him as a head coach but as an offensive coordinator his weakness his lack of creativity ,using players like Rico , Turpin early in the year with a bigger role in this offense was necessary ,and he did not do it this is what training camp is for this isn't what six weeks into the NFL season or 8 weeks into the NFL season when things are falling apart when you finally get desperate and start throwing everything at the defense that you possibly can you're supposed to do that from game one??? When was he gonna realize that maybe realigning the offensive line using your best 5 not names but players and getting the run game started before it was too late too little too late no you don't have my attention look I don't mind him back again as a head coach but as an offensive coordinator I don't trust him I don't like him unless Jerry puts a clause in his contract and yes Jerry has the leverage that he has to change offense coordinators or he wants to see what's been going on the last five weeks to start game one with the starters utilizing the same manner and stop icing your own players when they start getting hot feed them you some more not less don't sit down and stop the momentum stop when the run game is is working and then you throw four straight passes in the next series it makes no sense none of us believe in him as an offensive coordinator just because of what we see he does this backups it's crazy that he doesn't do it with the starters..,

 

[baltcowboy]

Does he really have any leverage? What team will hire McCarthy besides the Cowboys?

 

[Hawkeye19]

Whatever anyone here thinks about Mike McCarthy as a HC, this guy has done a good job keeping his players focused and motivated despite a rash of injuries, a roster that was way less talented than last year, and an owner who hung him out over a cliff without a future.

Despite all that, this team played like last night was a playoff game. The undermanned defense (missing 4 starters) was hitting the bucs like freight trains and swarming to the ball like their hair was in fire. The offense (with 2 starters out and a star WR with an A/C joint needing surgery) made big plays when it had to.

Bottom line: This team looked motivated. Four hours after learning they are eliminated from the playoffs.

So….it appears to me that suddenly Mike McCarthy, who looked like a dead man walking when we were 3-7, now has the inside track to be extended. With Bill Belechick now recruiting teenagers to play at North Carolina, the scenario of a Belechick run as HC in Big D is dead. (I never for one second thought Bill B would ever agree to come here to the Jerry circus anyway)

Now the question becomes, will Jerry now once again see Big Mac as the future? If so, McCarthy needs to use his sudden surge of leverage wisely. If I were in his shoes, I would be negotiating for these changes:

• FIRST: Currently, McCarthy is the 16th highest paid NFL HC. He should seek to get paid in at least the top 10. He’s only making $4 million which is third in the NFC East. He makes less than Dan Quinn in Washington. Jerry is notoriously cheap with coaches. Make him pay you at least $10 mil a season.
• SECOND: He should have it in his contract that he hires his own assistants. Parcells and Jimmy both had that in their contracts. McCarthy has earned the right to have that as well. It’s what normal HCs in this league have - the right to decide who to go to battle with.
• THIRD: Negotiate a clause that gives him what other NFL coaches have: The right to be consulted before trades are made. When JJ famously traded for Trey Lance in 2023, Big Mac was blindsided. He probably would have told Jerry what is now obvious- Lance is not an NFL QB and his skill set does not fit McCarthy’s offense. Maybe he could have saved a wasted 4th round draft pick.

There are probably some more things Big Mac should ask for. We all know Jerry will never again allow a Cowboys HC to have the authority Jimmy did. But McCarthy has certainly earned the respect of his locker room and has seemingly made lemonade out of the lemons Jerry gave him this off-season. Shouldn’t that be worth something in return?

This season has sucked in so many ways. Lame-ducking MM was a fail by JJ, along with many other blunders.

IMO— MM does deserve to get an extension and a raise based on his performance this year.

BUT

That has no bearing on one simple fact: Mike has NOT succeeded with the primary reason he was hired. To win in the playoffs.

JJ has put himself in an absurd situation: fire a guy the players love and respect after he has made lemonade from lemons? Or extend a guy you know can’t help this team beat the best teams in the league? Purgatory seems inevitable.

The only viable direction he can take now that JJ has (mis)played his hand is actually quite simple:

Extend Mike. Marry his contract length to mirror Dak’s contract. Give them a chance to “get it done” (which looks like a fools errand at this point)— and then start the full rebuild once their contracts expire.

Add quality pieces to the offense to maximize Dak’s opportunity to succeed, and hope for the best, and plan and prepare for life after Dak and Mike.

Firing Mike now, especially if this team competes against Philly and Washington would absolutely send the wrong message and would be a downer now— whereas firing him like he should have after the beatdown in Jan would have provided accountability and a fresh start.

We have the worst GM in the league. It is beyond maddening to watch him drive this franchise into the ground. Rant over lol.

 

[acr731]

Whatever anyone here thinks about Mike McCarthy as a HC, this guy has done a good job keeping his players focused and motivated despite a rash of injuries, a roster that was way less talented than last year, and an owner who hung him out over a cliff without a future.

Despite all that, this team played like last night was a playoff game. The undermanned defense (missing 4 starters) was hitting the bucs like freight trains and swarming to the ball like their hair was in fire. The offense (with 2 starters out and a star WR with an A/C joint needing surgery) made big plays when it had to.

Bottom line: This team looked motivated. Four hours after learning they are eliminated from the playoffs.

So….it appears to me that suddenly Mike McCarthy, who looked like a dead man walking when we were 3-7, now has the inside track to be extended. With Bill Belechick now recruiting teenagers to play at North Carolina, the scenario of a Belechick run as HC in Big D is dead. (I never for one second thought Bill B would ever agree to come here to the Jerry circus anyway)

Now the question becomes, will Jerry now once again see Big Mac as the future? If so, McCarthy needs to use his sudden surge of leverage wisely. If I were in his shoes, I would be negotiating for these changes:

• FIRST: Currently, McCarthy is the 16th highest paid NFL HC. He should seek to get paid in at least the top 10. He’s only making $4 million which is third in the NFC East. He makes less than Dan Quinn in Washington. Jerry is notoriously cheap with coaches. Make him pay you at least $10 mil a season.
• SECOND: He should have it in his contract that he hires his own assistants. Parcells and Jimmy both had that in their contracts. McCarthy has earned the right to have that as well. It’s what normal HCs in this league have - the right to decide who to go to battle with.
• THIRD: Negotiate a clause that gives him what other NFL coaches have: The right to be consulted before ttrades are made. When JJ famously traded for Trey Lance in 2023, Big Mac was blindsided. He probably would have told Jerry what is now obvious- Lance is not an NFL QB and his skill set does not fit McCarthy’s offense. Maybe he could have saved a wasted 4th round draft pick.

There are probably some more things Big Mac should ask for. We all know Jerry will never again allow a Cowboys HC to have the authority Jimmy did. But McCarthy has certainly earned the respect of his locker room and has seemingly made lemonade out of the lemons Jerry gave him this off-season. Shouldn’t that be worth something in return?

Remember how Garrett used to fold up like a cheap tent with only a single injury to deal with? If I'm going to give MM any credit, at least he didn't pull a Garrett like he always did. Garrett could never handle adversity worth a damn.

 

[Bobhaze]

That's the unfortunate reality of situation. We have the richest owner in the league who claims to be desperate for even an appearance in the conference championship game. There is no salary cap for a HC or the staff. Yet he won't take advantage of that fact and get the best staff possible. It's something I will never understand.

I will never understand it either. I’ve never understood why he didn’t recognize that by hiring a great HC (like Jimmy), if Jerry let’s that coach have full authority and that HC wins, Jerry gets tons of credit for hiring him. Why he doesn’t see that is an eternal mystery.

My personal feelings aside, my guess is McCarthy will leverage it to try to get (or change) one or two big things he wants.

Jerry will realize he is stuck with Dak's contract for at least 1 to 2 years and Dak and McCarthy like each other, so Jerry will likely give in.

That said, I think Jerry will trade giving in to McCarthy's demands for a shorter prove-it contract (ex: 2 years instead of 3-4), and I think that will be the sticking point for McCarthy who is likely to get offers from at least one or two other teams in the off-season.

If I were McCarthy and I still wanted to coach here (which we honestly do not know is true at this time), I would tell Jerry you made me coach the last year of my current contract so if you want me back it will cost you 4-5 years and then they will settle on 3, assuming Jerry gives in to his demands on changes.

That‘s probably a very accurate scenario. A 2-3 year contract at a higher amount per year.