Is Mike McCarthy’s job safe if the Dallas Cowboys lose on Monday? Pundits weigh in.
Will Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy be fired if the Cowboys lose to Tampa Bay on Monday?
According to owner Jerry Jones, McCarthy’s job is safe regardless of the final score. Yet, that hasn’t stopped pundits, fans and analysts alike from speculating about McCarthy’s possible replacement and job security should the Cowboys fail to make a deep run in the playoffs.
One such pundit was ESPN mainstay Stephen A. Smith who proclaimed Jones a liar and predicted that McCarthy would be fired if he lost to Tom Brady’s Buccaneers.
.@stephenasmith thinks Mike McCarthy's job is on the line
"Jerry Jones is lying to you. ... [If} Mike McCarthy loses this game, Mike McCarthy gone get fired. I don't give a damn what anybody says." pic.twitter.com/51mhH5HgmM— First Take (@FirstTake) January 10, 2023
Not all of Stephen A. Smith’s colleagues agreed, with Marcus Spears saying McCarthy should keep his job even if former Cowboys coach Sean Payton was made available.
This man @stephenasmith done lost his mind on this Mccarthy firing stuff on @FirstTake ! You get on my damn nerves
— Marcus Spears (@mspears96) January 12, 2023
He probably will bu shouldn’t Sean won 1 SB like McCarthy has common denominator HOf QBs dallas needs Dak has to play at the highest level we’ve seen him play over the course of these playoffs and we shall see also Kellen Moore has to be at his best. https://t.co/D7UCcbITgd
— Marcus Spears (@mspears96) January 12, 2023
Joy Taylor agreed with Spears, saying McCarthy has done enough to keep his job even if the Cowboys are one-and-done in the playoffs.
.@JoyTaylorTalks: Mike McCarthy has done an excellent job with the Cowboys this season and shouldn’t be fired regardless of what happens in the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/1OLNhJEx1Z
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) January 10, 2023
NFL insider Benjamin Allbright speculated that if McCarthy were to get axed, Sean Payton could be next in line. Payton has been a popular name to connect to the Cowboys — especially among fans — due to his previous success coaching quarterbacks when he was an assistant coach with the Dallas Cowboys and the head coach of the New Orleans Saints.
If Mike McCarthy were to be fired this off season the next Head coach of the Dallas Cowboys would likely either be Dan Quinn or Sean Payton. https://t.co/2c2HguVrjw
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) January 12, 2023
Popular podcaster Peter Bukowski scoffed at the idea that McCarthy would even be fired especially given the Cowboys recent track record with coaches.
Jerry Jones kept Jason Garrett for like 5 years too long, and he's going to fire Mike McCarthy, a Super Bowl winner, who has been to the playoffs whenever he's had a healthy QB?
Nah. https://t.co/49wby2rnjO— Peter Bukowski (@Peter_Bukowski) January 13, 2023
Heading into his Wild Card matchup against the Buccaneers Mike McCarthy has been publicly and vociferously supported by team owner Jerry Jones, but will that support last if McCarthy bows out of the playoffs early yet again?
