REVEALED: Cowboys owner Jerry Jones stuck with Mike McCarthy as head coach after learning he would NOT be able to convince Bill Belichick to move to Dallas this offseason

The Cowboys have decided to stick with head coach Mike McCarthy next season, at least after team owner Jerry Jones learned he wouldn’t be able to convince Bill Belichick to move to Dallas this season.

On Thursday, McCarthy sifted through several versions of selling his belief that the Cowboys can find a level of postseason success that has eluded the franchise for nearly three decades, after it was confirmed just a day ago that he would return for a fifth season despite a stunning performance. wild card loss to Green Bay.

“To the dismay of many Dallas Cowboys fans, owner Jerry Jones decided to keep current coach Mike McCarthy on the payroll to coach the team for at least another year after their disappointing performance in the NFL playoffs,” a source exclusively told DailyMail.com. .

“Many thought Mike was as good as fired, but the main reason he wasn’t is because Jerry Jones figured out relatively quickly that he wasn’t going to get Bill Belichick.

“Bill’s people answered Jerry’s questions and told him that Billy would not have taken the Cowboys job if he was offered, nor would he have applied for the position. Belichick’s mentor Bill Parcells once coached the Cowboys and Belichick knew he wouldn’t have the power and control to take the team in the direction he wanted, so he decided almost immediately he wouldn’t be an option.

Jerry Jones ‘would have fired Mike McCarthy’ if Bill Belichick wanted to coach the Cowboys

Jones fired Belichick’s mentor Bill Parcells in 2006 after three seasons as Cowboys head coach

“If Belichick had made himself available, Jerry Jones would have fired Mike McCarthy in a heartbeat because Jerry Jones wants to do everything he can to win another Super Bowl for the Cowboys.”

The Cowboys won the NFC East and entered the postseason with a chance to play at least twice at home, where they were on a 16-game winning streak. They left as the first No. 2 seed to lose to a conference’s last team since the 14-team format was adopted in 2020.

On the other hand, it’s no secret that Belichick is eager to get back to work after leaving the Patriots as one of the greatest head coaches in history and with six Super Bowl championships under his belt. His 24-year coaching tenure in New England is the fifth-longest in history, behind George Halas (40 years), Curly Lambeau (29) and Tom Landy (29).

The Atlanta Falcons are planning a second interview with Belichick on Saturday, seven years after he masterminded the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history with a certain Tom Brady. The Patriots entered the fourth quarter trailing Atlanta 28-3.

The Falcons also interviewed Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson.

The Atlanta Falcons made plans for a second-round interview with Belichick on Saturday

Belichick also has registered interest from the Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers.

McCarthy won a Super Bowl and went to three other NFC championship games in more than a dozen seasons as head coach of the Packers. That’s why Jones hired him in 2020 after a decade of watching Jason Garrett’s teams fail to advance past the divisional round.

The most recent time Dallas reached an NFC title game was the last of the franchise’s five Super Bowl titles during the 1995 season.

While McCarthy must acknowledge that he is the coach of the first team with three straight 12-win playoff seasons to not reach a conference championship game, there is only so much history he can handle.

“I’m not going to take responsibility, and I’ve talked to the players as well, and they have no responsibility for what’s happened here in the 20-plus years leading up to this point,” McCarthy said.

‘We are responsible for what is on the programme. I know it’s disappointing for the fans, but we’re in a position to learn, grow and build on this.”