The Cowboys have been longing for a deep playoff run. Dallas has not seen a game past the divisional round of the playoffs since winning the Super Bowl in the 1995 season. The 2023 Cowboys appeared to be a strong bet to reach the NFC title game in a weaker conference.
That didn’t happen. It didn’t even come close. The No. 2-seeded Cowboys, fresh off winning the NFC East in Week 18, were dominated by the Packers at home, falling 48-32 in a humiliating wild-card defeat.
Hiring Mike McCarthy, a former Super Bowl-winning coach with the Packers, was supposed to change the fortunes of the Cowboys. Dallas has reached the playoffs in three of McCarthy’s four seasons as the head coach, going 12-5 each year. It lost in the wild-card round in 2021 and the divisional round in 2022. Now, it’s out after the wild-card round again in 2023.
Some franchises will be content with their team reaching the playoffs every season. The Cowboys are not one of those franchises. The expectations on McCarthy were higher than simply reaching the postseason, and he’s come up short of the goals for a team capable of competing for a Super Bowl.
Now that Dallas’ offseason has arrived, it’s fair to speculate that McCarthy could officially be on the hot seat. And with a plethora of high-profile coaches on the market, including a Super Bowl-winning future Hall of Famer looking to continue his career, owner Jerry Jones might not wait long before deciding t
No name will be linked more with a potential Cowboys’ opening than Bill Belichick. The Patriots and Belichick mutually decided to part ways after a disappointing season in New England. But the 71-year-old coach appears poised to continue his career with the headset, with teams like the Falcons and Chargers potentially interested in him.
There are some young, up-and-coming coaches that are going to excite other fanbases and teams. But Jones doesn’t want to wait to see if a coach might work out. His team is capable of winning now, and he’d likely be interested in seeing what a coach of Belichick’s track record can do taking over what would likely be his most talented team since the Patriots won the Super Bowl in 2018.
The biggest question with a potential Belichick-Cowboys pairing would be handling personnel decisions. Belichick was the general manager in New England, a role Jones himself occupies in Dallas. Would the two share decision-making? Would Jones delegate the role to Belichick? Or would Jones keep Belichick’s focus on the headset?
The Cowboys are “America’s Team.” There might not be a more “America’s Team” hire than bringing in the coach with the most Super Bowl rings and the second-most collective wins in NFL history between the regular season and playoffs.
