What Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said about his future, season-finale loss

After the Dallas Cowboys lost their season finale to the Washington Commanders on Sunday at AT&T Stadium, head coach Mike McCarthy talked with the media about his future. This is everything he had to say.

On what’s on his mind following the last game of the season

“What’s really going through my mind is that this is the end of the year. This was our last game. So that’s really what I was focused on. Just make sure I had opportunities to see everybody when they came into the locker room.”

On if Jerry Jones had said anything about the plan going forward

“No, we have meetings tomorrow morning with the players, but we’ll get together here in the near future.”

On if he feels like his body after work after the last five years suggests he should be back for another year “I have a lot of confidence in myself as a head coach. I think like anything, body of work, you know the statistics, I think it’s more about the program, the details of what needs to get done. How can we get better? All those things go into these decisions of whether you originally get the job or continue to move forward. I’m definitely in position with Jerry to move the program forward. There’s no question about that in my mind. That’s why these conversations need to happen here in the near future.”

On if he feels good about the way the team played the last half of the season

“I don’t want to take anything for granted, I understand why you’re asking the question. But I mean, that’s the way we’re supposed to play, as far as the energy and the commitment. That’s what the players expect from the coaches, and that’s what coaches expect from the players. For us to go out there and compete and finish our commitment, to me was a given. I felt in some ways that game was a little bit of a microcosm of our season. It goes all the way down to the last play. A lot of good things happened in the game for young players, but little things that we didn’t do were part of the reason why we didn’t win the game. I was happy with the fact that some of the guys were able to play that really didn’t have much of an opportunity. I was pleased with the way the team competed today.”

On if his first preference is to remain as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys

“Absolutely. I have a lot invested here. And the Cowboys have a lot invested in me. And then there’s a personal side to all these decisions. They all point the right direction. I think anytime you invest your time, energy, your belief, the connection you have, the relationships that are in place here, the understanding of what the organization can do and is willing to do. Those are all positive attributes that you take into account. But you know, absolutely, I’m a builder. I believe in building programs. I believe in developing young players. So, at the end of day, it is about winning and you have to have those components in place to get this thing where it needs to be. I think we have a very good foundation here.”

On Trey Lance

“Yeah, I thought Trey played well today. You know, I think just like anything, you try to give them some opportunities. They did a good job right away, I think Clarence leaked it that he was playing, because they really came after our edges. So, we stayed away from some things that we were hoping to get, but then got to in the second half. But I liked his patience. But I think anytime you go from one quarterback to another, you saw it when Cooper Rush played his first game against

Philadelphia here, the cadence, we had some false starts you know some pre snap penalties that we just weren’t clean. And it’s a shame because we put together a lot of long drives. As we know, we kicked field goals and they scored touchdowns and when you’re down there that’s really what it came down to. I thought Trey did a lot of really good things. I think he clearly showed the progress he’s made since the last preseason game. I was very proud of Trey today.”

On what value he brings to the organization if he were to remain the coach of Dallas

“I understand why you’re asking the question. I don’t like to talk about myself that way, but I’ll just be clear. I’m a winner. I know how to win. I’ve won a championship. I won a championship in this building, and that’s who I am. We’ll see where it goes.”

On if he’s been in this coaching situation before where he’s had to convince somebody he’s still the right man for the job

“I think you do that every day. I think that’s life. This profession, I’ve been blessed to be in this league for three decades. It’s changed. But at the end of the day, it’s about winning, that part has never changed. I think when you stop feeling that you have to prove yourself, someone’s going to run your ass over. So yeah, I think you have to prove yourself all the time.”

On managing the next week or so

“I need to give them more direction here in the near future. But the last game is over. Hopefully I’ll be able to give them some direction here in the near future. That’s really all I can say.”

On the endorsements of Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons and CeeDee Lamb wanting him back and what those endorsements mean

“I mean, obviously, all those guys, you know, they mean the world to our team. They mean the world to me. But this is, you know, it’s not cliche; this is a very healthy locker room. I mean, the personalities, the type of people that we have in this locker room. Jerry and I were talking before the game, and he asked me “how the teams practiced yesterday?” And I just said: “Hey, if the GPS number is an indication how we’re going to play, we’re going to really kick butt today because it was the second highest of the year.” I think it just tells you about the individuals. The GPS numbers don’t win football games, don’t get me wrong, but I just think that they put the work in. It’s not just talk. It’s not a cliche; culture. There is accountability, and we need to be better, and that’s why we’re sitting here not in the playoffs. And I recognize that, and it ultimately starts with me. It’s, a really good group of men, and I do really appreciate that when they do echo those sentiments. But I just think it’s a reflection of what we have going here.”

On being head coach if he feels like he has to be the primary play caller

“I think you have to look at the whole picture. I look at what helps us, what gives us the best chance to win on Sundays. I’m old fashioned. I still write up the job descriptions, still write up the job responsibilities for every member of our staff. I think it’s important to have clarity in that. So, at the end of the day, when you build that organization chart with your coaching staff and give the assignments; the maintenance and the application of that is really where the gold is. It all comes down to what gives us the best chance of winning something.”

On his message to the fans

“I feel for our fans. I mean, it’s little things that I’ll always remember about the Dallas Cowboy fans. There’s nothing like showing up into an opposing city and just to see a thousand fans at the hotel. Or five (thousand), I can’t tell how many there are. There’s so many of them. So, their passion, their belief, the way they love and cheer for our players, it’s incredible. I just want to say thank you. I just appreciate all the energy that they pour into our football team. And I get it. We all are disappointed, but I hope they understand how much we put into it too, to represent the star. But this is an incredible fanbase.”

On the number of injuries this season and what could have been

“I’m still stuck on 7-10. It just knocked me over. This doesn’t sound right. No, what happens, regardless of the record, you know, the evaluation process starts tomorrow. We’ll go back through everything, and we’ll create the potential plan moving forward. But, yeah, it’s not where we expected to be. Clearly. This is not the press conference I expected to have today.”

This story was originally published January 5, 2025 at 5:14 PM.