DALLAS — When the 2025 Dallas Cowboys take the field at AT&T Stadium, who will be at the helm?
Mike McCarthy?
Or ... could it be ... the most decorated coach in NFL history?
ESPN published an article Wednesday morning that shone a light behind the curtain of Bill Belichick's failed job hunt, which mainly centered around the drama between himself, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank. The eye-grabbing headline of the article was the reporting surrounding how Kraft allegedly warned Blank to not trust the 72-year-old head coach.
So, what the heck does this have to do with the Cowboys?
In the ESPN article, Dallas is named among a short list of teams Belichick "has told confidants he would be interested in coaching." Furthermore, the article by Don Van Natta Jr. (who is writing a book on Jerry Jones), Seth Wickersham and Jeremy Fowler, cites a source connected to Belichick who said: "I don't think Bill Belichick will ever be a head coach again in the National Football League ... Unless it's [for] Jerry Jones."
Adding onto the prospect of Belichick coaching "America's Team" is McCarthy's contract situation. McCarthy is coaching this season under the final year of his contract. There was speculation if McCarthy would be fired after this past season, to which Jones shot down and showed support for McCarthy. Jones said McCarthy would return for the 2024 season, but neither Jones nor McCarthy would comment on a potential extension.
With that said, McCarthy expressed confidence in his employer.
"I never talk about a player's contract or a coach's contract," McCarthy said at the time. "I'm not going to start today. But I will say I am very confident in the direction. I'm very confident where I am."
ESPN reported in its article Wednesday that "Belichick told a friend that he liked the idea of sticking it to the Krafts by working for Jones."
Belichick and Jones are noted decades-long friends and both share an urgency to "win now."
Belichick has the all-time wins record, set by Don Shula (347), within reach (333). Jones has notoriously said this offseason he's "all in" – comments made to the chagrin of Cowboys fans after a quiet offseason.
Jones also has a flair for the dramatic. What more of a "Jones-esque" move than to bring in the coach widely considered the greatest of all-time?
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