For weeks now, Ed Werder on KTCK radio has reported as such:
McCarthy thought he was staying in Dallas because the team played well the 2nd half of the season and the excuses were injuries and Jerry's dumb 2024 offseason.
Then there was the week after the season where McCarthy was still under contract. You would think they would've been negotiating then. They never seriously did.
Werder thinks the week off reinforced for the Cowboys how embarrassing the three playoff losses were for the organization and especially Green Bay, plus they were hurting from letting Quinn and Kellen go 12 months earlier who were flying now with division competitors. He thinks McCarthy's agent had floated a topline number of years and dollars for an extension, and the Cowboys were like, you aint earned close to that. Go look for some new work out at our dumpster.
Much as many in our fanbase revered McCarthy and wishcasted him to be the coach, I will take the view he's a retread that aint thought of too highly around the league, or by Mickey's son, a football executive with the Cowboys.