Jerry Jones praises Mike McCarthy after Cowboys win, declines to discuss coach’s postseason future

Jones’ praise of McCarthy is remarkable. The head coach’s contract expires at the end of the season, and the owner and coach must make a decision about the future. After things looked bleak for McCarthy a month ago, Dallas’ late-season surge could change the calculus. The Cowboys have won four of their last five games. Jones’ comments could lay the groundwork to bring McCarthy back.

After three consecutive playoff appearances, Dallas was eliminated from postseason contention with three games remaining, its earliest exit since 2015. McCarthy’s players struggled despite playing out the string. With two divisional games remaining – in Philadelphia versus Washington – their performance could decide a lot in Dallas.

Jones noted how proud he was of how his team battled Sunday night under McCarthy’s leadership, but was unwilling to discuss the future.

“All I can say is what a great job, what a great job he’s doing,” Jones said. “Don’t have thoughts that I want to share about anything about what we’re doing … after we finish playing this year.”

They will play on January 5th.