Cowboys' Mike McCarthy is not expected to receive an extension, sources say

Mike McCarthy is not expected to receive any type of extension from the Dallas Cowboys and will coach the 2024 season on an expiring contract, league sources told ESPN.

Since Cowboys owner Jerry Jones announced this week that McCarthy would return in 2024, there have been questions about whether McCarthy's contract could be modified in some way — even if it was something as simple as an extension for another year.

The simple answer is no. Jones says he believes someone in the final year of a decade faces a different challenge, and can often bring out the best in people — which is what he expects to happen in 2024 with McCarthy.

Jones expected and asked the same of McCarthy's predecessor, Jason Garrett, who coached twice in the final year of his contract.

The first time Garrett coached was in the final year of his contract in 2014, when he went 12-4 and received a five-year extension. The second time was in 2019 when he finished 8-8 and did not return to the Cowboys, who traded for him with McCarthy.

Three days after a disappointing Wild Card loss to the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium, Jones made McCarthy's 2024 return official with a 260-word statement that praised McCarthy's regular-season winning percentage and his “clear postseason success,” even if That was what came with the Packers.

The Cowboys are 67-42 in the regular season and have won two NFC East titles in the last three years, but they are just 1-3 in the playoffs under McCarthy.

McCarthy said he is motivated more than money by legacy, and said the lack of an extension was not an issue for him. But the fact that he will be coaching in the final year of his deal will hang over McCarthy and the Cowboys, and will create inevitable problems.

Some league sources say McCarthy may have a more difficult time filling potential vacancies on his coaching staff because he will be in the final year of his deal. Others say that during periods of adversity, McCarthy's lack of extension can hover over a team.

Some other sources wonder how players will react to McCarthy's contract situation later in the year if the 2024 season doesn't go well.

The Cowboys' Super Bowl drought has now extended to 28 seasons, and although he acknowledged Wednesday that his team has “work to do,” McCarthy urged fans to “get involved with us.”

“I came here to win a championship,” McCarthy said. “I didn't come here to get another contract or anything. I came to Dallas to win a World Series.”