Add Micah Parsons to the list of notable Cowboys employees who would be happy to have head coach Mike McCarthy back in 2025. Just as quarterback Dak Prescott recently endorsed the embattled, lame duck HC, Parsons offered his own support for the only skipper he has played for in the professional ranks.
“I would like a fair shot with everyone back — players, coaches — because the injuries kind of struck of what this season could really be,” Parsons said (via ESPN’s Todd Archer). “The injuries have been terrible. And, you know, it really sucks. Seeing Zack [Martin], D-Law [DeMarcus Lawrence] not having the year I know he planned to have. He had such a great start. It really sucks.”
On McCarthy specifically, Parsons added, “in terms of coaching, man, Coach Mike, me and his relationship has always been really good. He always took real good care of me.”
Parsons acknowledged that the final call on McCarthy’s fate will be made by owner Jerry Jones, but Jones himself suggested at the end of November that he is amenable to a new contract for McCarthy. Likewise, Jones’ son, team EVP Stephen Jones, offered public support for his HC during a recent radio interview on 105.3 The Fan.
“I think our whole team endorses Mike McCarthy,” Stephen Jones said (via Jon Machota of The Athletic). “He’s got skins on the wall. He’s won a Super Bowl. He’s been in multiple championship games. He knows what it takes to win in this league.”
Interestingly, Stephen Jones added that a decision on McCarthy would not be predicated solely on win-loss record. Thanks in large part to Dallas’ injury struggles – including a season-ending hamstring ailment that Prescott suffered in Week 9 – the Cowboys have limped to a 5-7 mark through the first 12 games of 2024. McCarthy did oversee three straight 12-5 finishes from 2021-23, thus bolstering his case for a new deal, but the fact that those regular season performances resulted in just one playoff victory is what dissuaded team brass from authorizing a re-up this offseason.
Despite the highly complimentary nature of the Joneses’ public statements about McCarthy, it would register as something of a surprise if he were given a new contract at season’s end. Injuries or not, Dallas has failed to advance beyond the divisional round in any of his first four seasons at the helm, and the club has just a 4% chance of even qualifying for the playoff field this year. Indeed, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network…