This is a stunner — the Dallas Cowboys have decided they won’t reach a new deal with head coach Mike McCarthy before Tuesday’s deadline, putting a big name on the market in the middle of this year’s hiring cycle. His contract will expire and the Cowboys will let him walk away.
And he may not have to walk too far. The New Orleans Saints have been not-so-quietly keeping tabs on McCarthy’s status from across the Louisiana-Texas state line, and he could be near the top of their list when looking for Dennis Allen’s replacement.
McCarthy didn’t bring Jerry Jones the Super Bowl win he coveted, but he’s been a wildly successful head coach. Few of them can say they’ve reached the playoffs 12 times in 18 years leading the Cowboys and Green Bay Packers. Saints fans can’t act like they’re good for that after a four-year playoff drought.
He has several Saints connections worth noting. For one thing, McCarthy first rose to prominence as the team’s offensive coordinator from 2000 to 2004, and one of the people who hired him (former Saints general manager Randy Mueller) is consulting with this year’s head coach search.
For another, McCarthy hired Sean Payton’s longtime agent Don Yee to represent him. Yee is a high-profile sports agent whose clients have also included Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady, so we’re guessing his phone will be busy. And the Saints have had his number on file for a very long time given his relationship with Payton.
There’s been a lot of smoke linking the Saints to McCarthy, assuming he’ll become available. That’s now the case. Let’s see if there’s a fire burning there after all.
