ARLINGTON, Texas — After Sunday’s loss dropped the Dallas Cowboys to 3-6, pass rusher Micah Parsons was asked what he would say to people wondering if Mike McCarthy will be head coach in 2025.
“If I were to be Mike’s coach again next year, it would be above my salary,” Parsons said. “All the coaching aside, Mike can leave and go wherever he wants. The guys I kind of feel bad for are guys like Zack Martin and guys who are out and spending their final years because that’s who I wanted to grab the trophy for.
“You want to win games and do great things with those kinds of legends who put in more time and effort than Mike McCarthy ever did. So those are the guys I have so much sympathy for and it hurts.”
Martin, 33, is the longest-serving Cowboy, a 2014 first-round draft pick and a nine-time Pro Bowler. He is tied for the most first-team All-Pro selections (seven) in franchise history, along with Hall of Famers Bob Lilly and Randy White.
Martin is entering the final year of his contract and has battled ankle and shoulder injuries for most of the season.
McCarthy is in his 18th year as an NFL head coach and has 170 regular season wins and a Super Bowl victory with the Green Bay Packers. He helped the Cowboys to three straight 12-5 seasons from 2021 to 2023, but failed to advance past the divisional round of the playoffs.
Like Martin, McCarthy is entering the final year of his contract.
On Monday, McCarthy said he stopped to chat with Parsons about his comments while he was playing Game 6 in preparation for a home game against the Houston Texans.
“We’ve got to keep playing football,” McCarthy said. “Otherwise the other side is an hour or two ahead of us.”
McCarthy added: “It’s something I’ve always done where post-game comments raise questions for other people in the locker room. A conversation has to happen. So Micah and I had a conversation about it this morning. We dealt with it. Man bastards.” “You have to take care of this.”
McCarthy explained that Parsons’ intention was not to question the coach.
Parsons on Monday said on his podcast“Edge with Micah Parsons”, “I have never once thrown Mike McCarthy under the bus and never even thought about throwing him.”
“Like I said, he’s one of the most winning guys. [coaches]. He’s a Super Bowl champion. I have never once mentioned his past. “Parsons said, “And the question was about here and the Dallas Cowboys. Have I met Mike McCarthy from the future? And I said, ‘That’s above my pay grade.’ So I never once intended or wanted to mirror Mike McCarthy’s career because I always knew his career was a good one. I’ve always had a good relationship with Mike McCarthy. And I never questioned it.”
Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones reiterated a point he made earlier after Sunday’s 34-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. “I don’t believe we will change coaching during the season.”
The Cowboys are not out of the playoff hunt, but they will likely be without quarterback Dak Prescott for the remainder of the season. He was traveling to New York on Monday to see a specialist for a partial amputation of his right hamstring. The surgery is scheduled to take place on Wednesday.
Jones said he would consider all factors as to what went wrong this season, including the number of injuries. Parsons returned to the lineup against the Eagles after missing four games with a left ankle sprain.
“My criteria has always been, ‘How are we playing? Are we dominant? Are we fundamentally competitive? Are we competitive even when we’re down?’ Things like that.” “Obviously not as much as the score,” Jones said. What does Bill do? [Parcells] say? Are you what your score tells you to be? But still, looking at it all, there is no fairness.
“Let me be clear: no one is trying to be fair here. We are trying to win the game, so this is what we want to do to help be part of the decisions that can help us win the game. “There is no joy if we don’t win here, and I’m very sorry to the fans,” he said.
Not only is McCarthy in the final year of his contract, but so is the entire coaching staff.
Asked about other possible changes, Jones said, “There are a lot of options.” “It’s a matter of whether you change the positive equation or not. So there are a lot of things you could do differently, but that won’t necessarily lead to positive results.”
