The Dallas Cowboys have officially denied Chicago’s request for Mike McCarthy… and now we wait.
The Dallas Cowboys have denied a request by the Chicago Bears to interview Mike McCarthy for their head coaching position. After a lot of ambiguity and double talk from the font office, this is the first real indication of which way Dallas may be leaning regarding McCarthy’s future with the team.
McCarthy has about one week left on the five-year contract he signed with the Cowboys in 2020. Because of that, even if they have no plans to re-sign him, Dallas has to grant permission for any other team wanting to interview McCarthy until that deal expires. For whatever reason, they did not give it to the Bears.
ESPN Source: The Dallas Cowboys denied permission to the Chicago Bears to interview their head coach Mike McCarthy.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 8, 2025
A return to the NFC North, where McCarthy had many good years with the Packers, was one of the more logical landing spots for him if not staying in Dallas. He is the last coach to take a team from that division to a Super Bowl, winning it in 2010.
It would seem unusually cruel on the Jones family’s part to deny this request if they have no intention of bringing McCarthy back in 2025. Perhaps they’re still weighing their options before announcing a final decision, in which case it is their right to not allow another team to steal McCarthy away. But more likely than not, this is a sign that Mike McCarthy is about to get a new contract from the Cowboys.
