Who could replace Mike McCarthy in 2025

The Dallas Cowboys return to prime time and host the AFC South-leading Houston Texans on “Monday Night Football” in Week 11.

The Cowboys (3-6) have lost four straight games entering Week 11, most recently a 34-6 drubbing at the hands of division rival Philadelphia. With quarterback Dak Prescott out for the year, the offense struggled to a season-worst total of 146 yards. They went from the NFL’s best offense last season to 23rd in scoring and are closer to the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft than a playoff spot.

A defeat against the Texans (6-4) could raise the temperature in the already hot seat of Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy. Dallas did not extend his contract before the season, meaning they could have a new head coach in 2025 without owing McCarthy any money.

Here are the top candidates who could replace him in 2025 (all stats entering week 11):

Top NFL coaching candidates for 2025

Ben Johnson, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator

Johnson is one of the most respected offensive minds in the NFL. The Lions rank second in the NFL in points per game (31.6) and eighth in yards. Despite a five-turnover performance in Week 10, Detroit still ranks fifth in the NFL in expected points added (EPA) per play at 0.09. He has built one of the best offenses in the league in several years. Johnson will have his pick of head coaching options for next season and Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb could be interesting options.

Cliff Kingsbury, Washington Commanders offensive coordinator

Dallas could once again choose to take a former head coach who took a year off from the NFL as their new head coach. Kingsbury is a candidate to return to the head coaching position due to the quality of the Commanders’ offense at all levels. Experienced linemen like Sam Cosmi are playing the best football of their careers, quarterback Jayden Daniels could set rookie passing records and the offense is No. 1 in the league in EPA/rush (0.14) . However, he may already be in demand elsewhere and might opt to coach a young quarterback over Prescott.

Joe Brady, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator

Brady has built a more diverse offense around star quarterback Josh Allen over the past year and a half. The Bills have the #3 offense in the league at 29 points per game and one of the most efficient at 0.16 EPA/game (third in the NFL). They are second in EPA/pass (0.22) and EPA/rush (0.11). The way he took a talented quarterback and shaped the offense around him should be intriguing to the Cowboys.

Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions

It took a while, but the Lions are winning with their defense, not in spite of it, with another year under Glenn. The former cornerback played two seasons with the Cowboys (2005-06) and threw five interceptions in his time. The Lions possess the league’s best defense entering Week 11 even without star passer Aidan Hutchinson and are particularly strong against the run, an area in which the Cowboys have struggled during the 2024 season. If the Cowboys go for a defensive mind after McCarthy, who specializes in offense, Glenn should take a look.

Drew Petzing, offensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals have emerged as one of the league’s best offenses in 2024. They are ninth in EPA/play (0.07), ahead of offenses like Kansas City (0.06) and Green Bay (0.04). They are still in the top five in rushing offense this season and rank 13th in points per game (23.8). If the Cardinals are able to win their first NFC West title since 2015, it will be thanks to a solid offense, and Petzing will rightly pique the head coach’s interest. His creativity when it comes to personnel and developing players like Trey McBride bodes well for a future head coaching job.

Liam Coen, offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator before Coen – Dave Canales – got the head coaching job in Carolina after one season. But the Buccaneers are playing better on offense this year under Coen despite losing top receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin for several weeks and the season, respectively, before midseason.

The Buccaneers went from the worst rushing attack in the NFL last season under Canales to 11th under Coen this year. They fell from 17th place to sixth place with the same quarterback and poorer wide receiver health. By advanced metrics, they are the eighth-best offense per EPA/play in the league. Coen deserves attention for how he designed an offense that maximized his talent, even with mediocre talent.

Bobby Slowik, offensive coordinator of the Houston Texans

The Texans’ offense has cooled off this season due to injuries and shaky play on the offensive line, but Slowik will draw some interest as head coach. Wide receiver Nico Collins has become a Pro Bowl caliber wide receiver under his tutelage and CJ Stroud is also one of the best young quarterbacks in the league under him. He already had interviews after last season with teams and Dallas could interview him again.

Contract with Mike McCarthy

The Cowboys did not extend McCarthy’s contract until the 2024 season, meaning he is in the final year of a 5-year deal he signed in 2020. No details were reported, but McCarthy is estimated to receive $4 million to $7 million per year. this agreement.

Mike McCarthy Stats

Through Week 10 of the 2024 NFL season, McCarthy went 45-31 in the regular season and 1-3 in the playoffs. Here’s how the Cowboys have ranked on offense and defense since he was head coach:

2020 (6-10)

Offense: 14th in yards, 17th in points
Defense: 23rd in yards, 28th in points

2021 (12-5)

Offense: 1st in yards, 1st in points
Defense: 19th in yards, 7th in points

2022 (12-5)

Offense: 11th in yards, 4th in points
Defense: 12th in yards, 5th in points

2023 (12-5)

Offense: 5th in yards, 1st in points
Defense: 5th in yards, 5th in points

2024 (3-6)

Offense: 21st in yards, 23rd in points
Defense: 26th in yards, 31st in points

If the Cowboys want to reshape the roster after the season, they will have less cap space than most NFL franchises. The team has a cap hit of $24.02 million for 2025 as of publication by OverTheCap, which is 23rd in the NFL.

Next season’s biggest hits for Dallas are Prescott at $89.89 million and Lamb at $35.45 million.