According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Dallas Cowboys are not ready to get off the Mike McCarthy Express. The Chicago Bears, who fired head coach Matt Eberflus during the season, recently requested permission to interview the Cowboys’ head coach for their own vacancy. McCarthy is still under contract with the Cowboys for the next seven days, his five-year contract not expiring until January 14.

While speculation has run rampant over whether or not Dallas intends to retain McCarthy, until that day they have his rights and have to be asked by another franchise to speak to him. On Tuesday, they denied the Bears permission.

Many will speculate that this means a deal between the two sides is in the works, and while that may be the case, this isn’t an indication in either direction.

There are several potential reasons why owner Jerry Jones would not grant the permission, and several potential outcomes to the next week.

For one, Dallas isn’t obligated to play nice with any other team. Sure, it would seem to be the moral thing to do if they weren’t interested in retaining McCarthy and letting his contract expire, but professional sports doesn’t require friendliness.

The team could also still be evaluating their season and finalizing their assessment. While the Cowboys organization knows how to print money, their lack of playoff success over the last 30 years paints a picture of a club unable to conduct football business to fine effect. They moved ridiculously slowly in 2020, when then head coach Jason Garrett’s contract expired and they eventually hired McCarthy.

DLLS Sports’ Clarence Hill seems to indicate that is the case in a responsive tweet to the news.

At the same time, McCarthy may not want to return to the Cowboys and be looking for a fresh start. If Dallas wants him back and McCarthy wants to play the field, or outright be done with the organization, that could lead to the Cowboys wanting to make things difficult on him or a pursuing franchise.

Any of these is as likely a possibility that the two sides are negotiating the parameters around a McCarthy return. Compensation could be a factor, contract length could be a factor, assistant coaches and play-calling duties could be a factor. Negotiations happen on all of these fronts, and the Jones have meddled on such things over and over in their ownership history; there’s no reason to think this is any different.

It would be nice to be able to pinpoint exactly what this latest revelation in the Dallas soap opera means, but until the team actually signs a head coach, keep all options open.