FRISCO – Before couples break up, often they give each other the silent treatment. Realizing the relationship is a lost cause or leery of saying something in the heat of the moment they will regret, they simply stop talking to – or even about – their significant other.
According to that Relationship 101 tenet, Jerry Jones doesn’t appear at this moment anywhere close to divorcing Mike McCarthy as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in 2025 and beyond. On his weekly 105.3 The Fan radio appearance Tuesday, the owner admitted he regularly talks to McCarthy and often discusses the future in positive terms.
The coach’s contract expires after this season, and the Cowboys’ disappointing season has largely been framed with the chances of him being signed to an extension or let go.
“Yes, we talk about the future. Yes we do,” Jones said. “It’s implied in every conversation. The future might be next game or next month. It’s not what happened last Sunday or two weeks ago, all that counts is the next minute and the next game. The future is where the decision-making is. So, yes, we talk about the future.”
After last Sunday’s dramatic victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jones and McCarthy had a very public one-on-one discussion captured by NBC’s cameras in the locker room. Jones said the two also had a private, somber conversation before kickoff.
“The reality was there was that we weren’t going to advance to the playoffs. No way. Not even one percent,” Jones said. “It was noted, and you could cut it with a knife in our private conversation. It was real, because making the playoffs is one of our primary goals. But I can’t tell you how proud I am of the way the coaching staff, led by Mike McCarthy, the way that the leadership on this team, and really proud of these young players. They just are growing mentally and physically by leaps and bounds, makes me think we’ve got and outstanding future ahead of us.”
The Cowboys have won four of five games to improve to 7-8, but it’s too little, too late. Despite being eliminated, Jones repeatedly talks about how impressed he is with his coaching staff and the tenacity of players.
“These are great, great signs for our future,” he said. “The way we’re competing and playing gives me real excitement. Against Tampa Bay we looked like a team out there fighting for the playoffs or home-field advantage. It’s the ethos of the team. This team has been in the foxhole, and we’ve been shot at.”
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Jones may be positive toward the Cowboys’ future, but he’s in no hurry to see if Trey Lance is part of that equation. While consistently gushing over quarterback Cooper Rush, he gave no hints that Lance will see more playing time in the team’s final two meaningless games starting Sunday at the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I want the very best chance that we have to make those plays like we did against Tampa Bay,” Jones said. “There is no off-setting that with seeing how maybe a certain player might show up or not. That won’t trump giving us the best chance to make positive plays.”
