The New Orleans Saints have shown repeated interest in current Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, but have not been able to interview him with his contract yet to expire. That will all change in just a couple of days, though.
Jerry Jones and the Cowboys have until Jan. 14, 2025 to sign McCarthy before his contract runs out and he becomes open to every team without a coach.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero signaled that the two sides have just started negotiations on Friday with the deadline rapidly approaching.
The former Super Bowl-winning leader has been in Dallas since the 2020 season and has a 49-35 record with the team. He also had just a 1-3 postseason record.
While him signing another deal with the Cowboys can’t be ruled out, it hasn’t been the favored outcome for a while now. It is widely believed that the Saints will be interested if he does hit the open market. Dallas wants to keep him — they blocked an interview request from the Chicago Bears — but the clock is ticking.
Bringing in McCarthy would see a return to an offensive head coach that they haven’t seen since Sean Payton left. Given how bad the Dennis Allen era went, many fans would likely be excited about that.
There is also familiarity with New Orleans, seeing as though he was the offensive coordinator for the team from 2000 to 2004.