Troy Aikman gives honest opinion on Cowboys firing Mike McCarthy after five seasons
On Monday, the Dallas Cowboys announced that the team will part ways with head coach Mike McCarthy after five seasons together and will commence their search for a new head coach to lead the roster in 2025 and beyond.
Last week, the team rejected an interview request from the Chicago Bears, suggesting they were keen on retaining McCarthy's services. They also didn't field lineup any interview requests of their own, further giving the impression that they'd stick with the veteran. However, the two sides reportedly couldn't agree on terms of a contract extension and decided to go their separate ways.
NFL analyst and Cowboys icon Troy Aikman was astonished about McCarthy's exit and flamed the franchise for their poor management of his departure. Ahead of ESPN's Monday Night Countdown, the Hall of Famer said:
"I thought Mike McCarthy would be the head coach, so this is a bit of a surprise for me today that he's not going to be... It suggests that there's not a real plan. The fact that they haven't had the opportunity to maybe interview a Ben Johnson and some of these other [coaches] like Aaron Glenn. As far as Kellen Moore being a candidate [goes], that seems logical to me."
Aikman also claimed that the Cowboys are no longer a franchise that coaches dream about joining. He added:
"As far as [it] being a coveted job, I don't know if that's accurate. I do think the Cowboys are obviously a high-profile team. Whoever is head coach of that team is certainly going to draw a lot of attention. But most football people that take over as a head coach, they want to do it on their terms. And that's hard to do [in Dallas]...
"I wish [the Cowboys] well but to say that it's a coveted job, I'm not sure I would necessarily agree with that."
Deion Sanders could replace Mike McCarthy as Cowboys head coach
With Mike McCarthy out, the Cowboys will now turn their attention to bringing in a new head coach to lead the franchise, and owner Jerry Jones has reportedly zeroed in on Hall of Famer Deion Sanders as the man for the job.
According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Colorado Buffaloes head coach could consider leaving college football behind and transitioning to the NFL. He posted:
"Deion Sanders has long publicly dismissed any interest in coaching in the NFL — but this was one call he wasn’t going to ignore. Sanders is listening, and talks are expected to continue as Jerry Jones explores the possibility of bringing Coach Prime to the NFL, per multiple sources."
His sons, Shilo and Shedeur, are set to enter the league next season, and Sanders could be tempted to follow them and return to the NFL.