The Dallas Cowboys shocked the NFL world on Monday afternoon, deciding to part ways with head coach Mike McCarthy after a disappointing 7-10 season.
The news out of Arlington was surprising for several reasons. For one, the team took more than a week after their season finale to actually decide on McCarthy's future—whose contract was set to expire tomorrow—and secondly, they prevented him from interviewing for the Chicago Bears's head coaching job last Tuesday, which led many to assume that he'd be returning to Dallas.
Knowing that that's now not the case, former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman was asked about the turn of events ahead of Rams vs. Vikings on ESPN's Monday Night Countdown:
"Well I thought Mike McCarthy would be the head coach," said the Dallas great-turned-ESPN color commentator. "So this is a bit of a surprise to me today that he's not going to be... It suggests that there's not a real plan in the fact that they haven't had the opportunity to interview maybe a Ben Johnson or some of these others—Aaron Glenn. I think that what [Adam] Schefter said as far as Kellen Moore being a candidate, that seems logical to me. A guy who has familiarity with the building, he's worked—obviously—with the Cowboys and with Jerry Jones and they know each other well."
"Beyond that?" Aikman later continued. "It's hard to imagine as far as a 'coveted job’—I don't know that that's accurate. I do think the Cowboys are obviously a high-profile team. Whoever is head coach of that team is certainly going to draw a lot of attention, but I think most football people that take over as as head coach, they want to do it on their terms."
Troy Aikman on the Dallas Cowboys: "I thought Mike McCarthy would be the head coach, so this is a bit of a surprise for me today... It suggests that there's not a real plan... To say that it's a coveted job, I'm not sure I would necessarily agree with that." 🏈🔥🎙️#NFL pic.twitter.com/M6cmb1dOaO
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 13, 2025
"I love the Dallas Cowboys," finished Aikman. "I played there for 12 years, I wish them well, but to say that it's a 'coveted job,’ I'm not sure I would necessarily agree with that."
Some extremely pointed words towards his former team.
During McCarthy's time in Dallas, he tallied a 49-35 record over five seasons while leading the Cowboys to two NFC East titles and three playoff appearances.
Now behind the eight ball, America's Team will begin a search for their 10th head coach in franchise history.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Troy Aikman Losing Faith In Cowboys Being A 'Coveted' Head Coaching Job.
