Fate of Cowboys' Mike McCarthy Could Have Domino Effect on Jaguars

There is a big reason the Jacksonville Jaguars should keep a close eye on the situation with Mike McCarthy in Dallas.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy looks on during the second quarter of a regular season NFL football matchup Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville. The Jacksonville Jaguars edged the Dallas Cowboys 40-34 in overtime. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] Jki 121822 Cowboys Jags Cp 122 / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

While the Jacksonville Jaguars have their own host of problems and questions entering Week 13, it could be the fate of another team that impacts the Jaguars' future.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones surprised the public this week with comments that indicated head coach Mike McCarthy might not actually be on the hot seat after all.

"I don't think that's crazy at all." Jones said during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan this week when the subject of McCarthy returning in 2025 came up. "That's not crazy. Listen, Mike McCarthy is an outstanding coach."

"This is a Super Bowl-winning coach. Mike McCarthy has been there, done that, he's got great ideas. Bottom line is, there's no place in my body language or anything else that you've seen indications about what we're going to be doing relative to this staff at the end of this year. And we shouldn't. We've got a lot of football left."

With a disappointing season that has carried over from last year's playoff disaster coupled with an expiring contract, most have presumed McCarthy would be in trouble come Black Monday. As a result, the Cowboys have been consistently linked to two of the top potential head coach candidates in Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and ex-New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.

Belichick's name has also frequently come up in reports around the Jaguars' potential head coach opening. And many expect Johnson to also figure into the Jaguars' search if they do indeed move on from Doug Pederson.

In the end, the Cowboys may be the Jaguars' greatest obstacle to landing either of Johnson or Belichick. If the Jaguars are set to go into the offseason with the duo as their top two candidates, then the Cowboys could be the one team standing in their way.

That all changes, though, if the Cowboys go against the grain and retain McCarthy. McCarthy has been a consistent winner in Dallas until 2024, so it stands to reason why Jones may want to see if he can get things right in a year in which injuries don't derail their season.

And if Jones ultimately opts to do that, the Jaguars very well could be direct benefactors.

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