For Cowboys and Mike McCarthy, contract length will be key

For the Cowboys, the decision to retain coach Mike McCarthy is the beginning, not the end.

The two sides must negotiate a contract. And the Cowboys may not want to make the same five-year commitment they did when they signed McCarthy in 2020.

Some in league circles believe owner Jerry Jones will push for something as short as a one-year deal or possibly a multi-year deal with just a year or two guaranteed.

From the team’s perspective, what is McCarthy’s alternative? If he says no and the Cowboys start looking for a new coach, will McCarthy end up somewhere else? Only the Bears asked permission to interview him this week, and the Bears interview a variety of candidates.

Unless McCarthy already knows that someone else will hire him right, he could end up out of luck.

It would be a risky move for Jones. But as we know, Jones doesn’t like paying trainers not to work. He would prefer flexibility. And he was already willing to leave McCarthy as a lame duck coach in 2024.

Whether it’s one against five or two against four, the contract will be key. And if Jerry hopes to upstage the Eagles by leaking and/or announcing the deal during Sunday’s Packers-Eagles playoff game, the clock is ticking.