Mike McCarthy expresses interest in remaining with Cowboys

Mike McCarthy’s contract expires one week from Tuesday but he isn’t looking to go on a free-agent tour.McCarthy said Sunday that he wants to return to the Dallas Cowboys in 2025 for a sixth season as head coach.Owner Jerry Jones didn’t commit to retaining McCarthy following the season-ending 23-19 loss to the Washington Commanders that left the Cowboys with a 7-10 record, including a shaky 2-7 home mark.”I’ve had coaches under contract that I thought we might consider a change and they were thinking maybe a change under contract,” Jones said. “So this business of under or out of contract is not an influencer with me at all.”There has been recent speculation that McCarthy might be interested in shopping his services once his deal runs out. But McCarthy made it clear that he prefers to stay with the Cowboys.”Absolutely. I have a lot invested here. And the Cowboys have a lot invested in me,” McCarthy said. “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.”McCarthy has led Dallas to the playoffs in three of his five seasons, guiding the team to a 12-5 record on each occasion. Those sparkling campaigns came with a healthy Dak Prescott as the quarterback.