Let's be honest here about what happened with McCarthy

[Sydla]

Jerry's plan was to hope the deadline would add pressure to McCarthy and get him to take a deal on his terms. I think the fact there was so much interest from other teams interested in interviewing McCarthy surprised Jerry. Jerry suddenly lost his leverage and McCarthy, sitting on a pile of money already and knowing he may have other options, waited out Jerry.

This also highlights, yet again, how unfit Jerry is at running this team. First, the decision on McCarthy should have been made weeks ago. And if the decision was that you wanted him back (which seems to be the case), then you get that deal done immediately. Playing chicken with a HC is absurd. The most profitable franchise in sports haggling over years with a coach you want back and then lose when he calls your bluff? Even more absurd. What a disaster.

Now, if the decision was you didn't want him back, feelers should have been sent out immediately to names like Belichick, Vrabel, etc. The worst case scenario is deciding you wanted McCarthy back, play games with him to then lose him at the last second over your stupid attempt to leverage him into a real favorable deal for you and then have some of your better targets already be far along (or hired) by other places.

It's no surprise that's the path the Cowboys chose. Buckle up fans, it's going to be another in a string of disasterous offseasons.

 

[Brax]

Jerry's plan was to hope the deadline would add pressure to McCarthy and get him to take a deal on his terms. I think the fact there was so much interest from other teams interested in interviewing McCarthy surprised Jerry. Jerry suddenly lost his leverage and McCarthy, sitting on a pile of money already and knowing he may have other options, waited out Jerry.

This also highlights, yet again, how unfit Jerry is at running this team. First, the decision on McCarthy should have been made weeks ago. And if the decision was that you wanted him back (which seems to be the case), then you get that deal done immediately. Playing chicken with a HC is absurd. The most profitable franchise in sports haggling over years with a coach you want back and then lose when he calls your bluff? Even more absurd. What a disaster.

Now, if the decision was you didn't want him back, feelers should have been sent out immediately to names like Belichick, Vrabel, etc. The worst case scenario is deciding you wanted McCarthy back, play games with him to then lose him at the last second over your stupid attempt to leverage him into a real favorable deal for you and then have some of your better targets already be far along (or hired) by other places.

It's no surprise that's the path the Cowboys chose. Buckle up fans, it's going to be another in a string of disasterous offseasons.

Low ball offer, short contract years. MM found a backbone. As for Belichick he’s available if Jerry wants to pay problem is Jerry is not giving up any power. Gruden is a guy like MM was wanting to get back in the game and he may be the next yes man in waiting

 

[ShortRound]

I think you got it right ... Blocking him from Chicago only to let time run out, was a classless move.

 

[John813]

Too cheap to pay a coach they "want". Too cheap to fire coaches.Too cheap to pay outside free agents.

Great strategy they got going, but they still get millions from fans each year, why change?

 

[CowboysRule]

Maybe they could have just not been able to agree on years? You don't know what McCarthy was asking for. Maybe he wanted something ridiculous like 10 years? They clearly were hoping to resign him based on blocking the Bears. I do agree that waiting this out to the last second was not smart. Or, maybe, they heard what the players were saying, wanted to give the appearance of trying to get him to come back and then had this as their excuse. If you send out feelers someone in the media will find out and then your whole charade is blown.

 

[CWR]

That deadline never worked in Jerry's favor, how could it?

I agree though this is reminiscent of last off season, when the only moves we made were because we lost guys who left on their own volition.

 

[Aven8]

It’s sounds like they wanted him back and they lowballed him. He hired the new agent strategically right before the season ended. That guy is supposedly a bull dog. Having said that This could have also fallen apart had they wanted someone else to call plays.

 

[Sydla]

I think you got it right ... Blocking him from Chicago only to let time run out, was a classless move.

I think he was generally surprised teams wanted to interview him.

That Jerry, really has his finger on the pulse of the NFL.

 

[offlimits]

Low ball offer, short contract years. MM found a backbone. As for Belichick he’s available if Jerry wants to pay problem is Jerry is not giving up any power. Gruden is a guy like MM was wanting to get back in the game and he may be the next yes man in waiting

What is it with all the love for Belicheat here? He is 72 years old and soon to be 73. No thanks. No more retreads. I can think of 5-6 great college coaches who are much younger and would be great coaches here. And younger I mean in their 40's.

 

[kumizi]

He probably offered MM 3 years $15 million.

I bet Ben Johnson gets something like $50 million plus.

 

[Sydla]

Too cheap to pay a coach they "want". Too cheap to fire coaches.Too cheap to pay outside free agents.

Great strategy they got going, but they still get millions from fans each year, why change?

The facts don't lie despite some fans around here trying to claim otherwise.

The Cowboys rank near the bottom of the league in terms of cash spent on their roster over the last decade. Throw in their cheapness when it comes to coaches.

It's quite clear that Jerry is no longer about putting the best product he possibly can on the field. He's concerned with putting the best product on the field he can within the cheap budget he's created in order to line his own pockets.

 

[Adreme]

What is it with all the love for Belicheat here? He is 72 years old and soon to be 73. No thanks. No more retreads. I can think of 5-6 great college coaches who are much younger and would be great coaches here. And younger I mean in their 40's.

I mean the love for the greatest coach ever is that he is unquestionably the greatest coach ever and the Patriots look like an abomination of a football team the year after he is gone.

 

[Vanilla2]

At this you gotta believe the incompetence is deliberate. Jerry and co has zero respect for the fanbase.

AMERICAS TEAM!

 

[Praxit]

.. that playoff game versus Green Bay doomed him.
Everything is handed to you on a platter and you trip the server

 

[NDGAEDE]

Jerry and his moron son are simply the worst negotiators around. Kudos to Mike for not playing their stupid game.

And I completely agree with the OP, save one thing: This situation should have been solved LAST offseason, before we went into the year with a lame duck coaching staff. This entire season was set up to fail based on that decision alone.

 

[RS12]

I am starting wonder how some of Jerry's outside business ventures are doing because supposedly this team prints an annusl 400 million profit. Yet Jerry throws nickles around like they are manhole covers.

 

[sunalsorises]

McCarthy didn't earn another 5 years. I could see giving him another year or two but he simply didn't do enough in the playoffs to get another 5 years.

 

[camelboy]

In case you didn't notice, we are already in the "Al Davis" phase.

Raiders still suffering from those days.

 

[noshame]

I don't believe Jerry ever wanted Mike back in the first place. He just wanted to make it look like Mike left and he didn't fire him. Honestly, that's all it is.
These guys weren't even talking about the time when Dak got injured, the team was looking horrible.

 

[Bobhaze]

Jerry's plan was to hope the deadline would add pressure to McCarthy and get him to take a deal on his terms. I think the fact there was so much interest from other teams interested in interviewing McCarthy surprised Jerry. Jerry suddenly lost his leverage and McCarthy, sitting on a pile of money already and knowing he may have other options, waited out Jerry.

This also highlights, yet again, how unfit Jerry is at running this team. First, the decision on McCarthy should have been made weeks ago. And if the decision was that you wanted him back (which seems to be the case), then you get that deal done immediately. Playing chicken with a HC is absurd. The most profitable franchise in sports haggling over years with a coach you want back and then lose when he calls your bluff? Even more absurd. What a disaster.

Now, if the decision was you didn't want him back, feelers should have been sent out immediately to names like Belichick, Vrabel, etc. The worst case scenario is deciding you wanted McCarthy back, play games with him to then lose him at the last second over your stupid attempt to leverage him into a real favorable deal for you and then have some of your better targets already be far along (or hired) by other places.

It's no surprise that's the path the Cowboys chose. Buckle up fans, it's going to be another in a string of disasterous offseasons.

Very well said.

This whole process with McCarthy…well actually the entire 2024 off-season AND season…has pulled the curtain back finally for even the biggest of kool-aid drinking Cowboys fans. It has never been easier to see. We are held hostage by a fool with a gigantic destructive ego.

This once proud organization is being run by an 82 year old billionaire who is out of touch with reality, out of step with the NFL and clueless how to build a roster that can win a championship in cap era. The only hope I have is a post-Jerry era. It’s the only reason I’m hanging on.