DALLAS — With every Dallas Cowboys loss, head coach Mike McCarthy inches closer and closer to unemployment. That's no exaggeration; McCarthy is coaching without a contract lined up for next season, so the Cowboys' performance in 2024 will unequivocally translate to his job status at season's end.
Well, one would think, anyway.
Despite another home loss Sunday -- this time, 28-25 to the Ravens, in a game that wasn't nearly as close as the score indicated -- owner Jerry Jones refrained from going scorched earth on McCarthy.
And even though Jones has the reputation of a quick trigger with his coaches, that's rarely been his style. Wade Phillips is the only coach he's ever fired during the season, and he stood by Jason Garrett for 10 uneven seasons.
But none of that is stopping the speculators, both on social media and at the sportsbooks: Will Jerry fire McCarthy? And if he does, who will be his replacement?
McCarthy entered Sunday among the betting favorites for first NFL coach to get fired this season. New York Giants coach Brian Daboll, Bengals coach Zac Taylor, Bears coach Matt Eberflus and Jets coach Robert Saleh were listed ahead of McCarthy, according to Bookies.com.
Daboll and Saleh both earned wins this week, and Taylor and the Bengals play Monday night. The Bears lost Sunday, but quarterback Caleb Williams showed more progress. So while the latest odds weren't posted just yet, McCarthy figures to be moving up the charts.
(Sidenote: Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, another name speculated to be nearing the hot seat, got a win Sunday as well, against the Saints).
But again, the ebbs and flows of the hot seat might not matter much for the Cowboys; Jones is unlikely to fire McCarthy unless things get *really* bad (and hey, maybe they will). The interesting nugget floating around Cowboys social circles, and now on the sportsbooks, is who Jones might find to replace McCarthy.
One man seems to be getting the most buzz: Former Patriots legend Bill Belichick.
Bet US odds on Monday morning had Belichick at even odds of coaching the Cowboys at the start of the 2025 season. The Jets were the next likely landing spot for Belichick, at +350.
To put that into context, "even" odds means the sportsbook is basically calling the likelihood of a Belichick-coached Cowboys team a tossup -- meaning it could go either way. Which, for a futures bet on a potential coaching hire, is rare.
Belichick, 72, would be 73 by the start of next season and isn't coaching this year after he parted ways with the Patriots. He's a six-time Super Bowl champion, but it's not clear if he wants to get back into coaching.
For a franchise that likes to make a big splash -- and has before with the likes of Belichick's mentor, Bill Parcells -- nothing is out of the question.
