What Cowboys denying Bears interview request means for Mike McCarthy

It appears that the Dallas Cowboys are aiming toward keeping Mike McCarthy as their head coach.

Dec 29, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy on the sidelines against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Dallas Cowboys fans have been waiting for the franchise's decision on head coach Mike McCarthy since the clocks hit zero in their season finale vs. the Washington Commanders. While some have been waiting even longer.

Now, it appears that they may been leaning toward making that choice sooner than we thought.

According to reports from ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Cowboys have denied an interview request for McCarthy from the Chicago Bears, seemingly signaling that the team is leaning toward keeping McCarthy in place.

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McCarthy had entered the year in the final year of his contract, after going 12-5 in the previous three seasons, but failing to advance in the playoffs. Unfortunately for McCarthy, things did not go well in that final year, with Dallas finishing the year 7-10, including a five-game losing streak in the middle of the year.

Jan 5, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) talks to head coach Mike McCarthy before the game against the Washington Commanders at AT&T Stadium. / Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

However, even with those struggles, it should come as no surprise that the Cowboys would be leaning toward keeping McCarthy at the helm.

The Jones family has stood strong behind their head coach throughout the year, even hinting that he could be signed to an extension and return to the team in 2025 and beyond. Jerry Jones also went out of his way to praise McCarthy for what he has helped his team overcome this season and dropped some hints as to which way he is leaning last month.

MORE: Best Mike McCarthy replacement could already be in Cowboys' facility

"I can't tell you how proud I am of the way the coaching staff, led by Mike McCarthy, the way that the leadership on this team, and really proud of these young players," Jones said after the win over Tampa Bay Buccanneers. "They just are growing mentally and physically by leaps and bounds, which makes me think we've got an outstanding future ahead of us."

Not to mention, star quarterback Dak Prescott has also been a vocal proponent of extending McCarthy as well. Which should also come as no surprise, considering he has had some of the best years of his career with McCarthy calling plays.

Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Now, with the Cowboys denying the Chicago request, all signs point toward Jones bringing McCarthy back into the fold.

Of course, this could also simply mean that the Cowboys do not want to lose McCarthy to another NFC team. That said, despite the recent struggles, it certainly appears that they do not have any plans to move on from their head coach any time soon.

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