FRISCO – Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys “morphed into contract talks with head coach Mike McCarthy earlier this week,” according to our CowboysCountry.com insider Mike Fisher.

Or, they did so on Friday, per NFL Network’s Tom Pellisero who reported that Jones and McCarthy “remain open to moving forward together” and that conversations over a new contract were to get underway that day.

Or … McCarthy and Jones haven’t had “substantial discussions” at all about the contract recently, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

So … which is it?

Schefter is now reporting as of Saturday on NFL Countdown that it’s “in question” whether McCarthy and the Cowboys will be able to come together on a new deal for the coach as his present contract is set to expire on Tuesday.

Schefter is suggesting a problem given his assertion that there is a lack of communication between the parties – which directly conflicts with Fisher reporting that there’s “no animosity” in the talks …

That Schefter claims aren’t happening at all.

In total, we have three different “insiders” with three different timelines and three different takes.

What’s going on here? Three quick takes ..

*Fisher has a 35-year track record of covering Jones’ Cowboys. He believes that Jerry views the entirety of the week’s conversations with the coach – from “evaluation” to “negotiation” as part of one continuum.

*The respected Pellisero has a tight working relationship with McCarthy. It’s a decent bet that if Pelissero is reporting that Friday was a turning-point day, he’s reflecting on the views of the coach.

*Schefter? His reputation as an “insider” who simply tweets the texts he gets from agents has been a difficult one for him to shake.

During this process, Schefter has suggested a tie between McCarthy and potential bidder the New Orleans Saints.

“Mike McCarthy has the ability to go talk to whoever he wants about a head coaching job. So he can go listen to the Saints, where he’s coached before …”

That was 10 days ago. Why haven’t the Saints called yet?

One guess: Schefter’s report 10 days ago didn’t come from the Saints. It came from the agent, Don Yee, the idea being to put heat on the Joneses.

So … maybe Schefter now is again doing Yee a favor by creating the impression that talks are non-existent … in an attempt to put pressure on the Joneses. Again.

McCarthy’s deal expires Tuesday, at which point he’ll become a free agent. We’re not denying the possibility that he’ll get another job if this falls through.

But Fisher says they’re talking. And Pellisero says they’re talking.

And Schefter says they’re not talking. …

Leaving Cowboys Nation to decide which reporters to trust.