“It’s crazy” - Cowboys icon Michael Irvin not on board with Jerry Jones’ ‘ludicrous’ plan for Mike McCarthy

The Dallas Cowboys enter Week 13 with a lot of unanswered questions but head coach Mike McCarthy earned himself some breathing room after a wild win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday. In a game that went right down to the wire before the Commanders imploded, the Cowboys finally managed to pick up their fourth win of the season, igniting some hope as their schedule eases up.

After that win, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was asked what the plan was for head coach Mike McCarthy's future. Jones suggested it wouldn't be "crazy" to consider extending his contract.

"He's an outstanding coach. ... This is a Super Bowl-winning coach. Mike McCarthy has been there, done that. He's got great ideas," Jones said.

However, franchise legend Michael Irvin didn't echo the same sentiment. In a late-night appearance on FS1's Speak, Irvin made his feelings very clear on McCarthy's future:

“Not conflicted about that, absolutely. It would be crazy. I guess where Jerry’s trying to go is that he has taken some responsibility that he can’t put it all on Mike McCarthy. But before Dak got hurt, they were still not looking good. They were still averaging about 20 points a game with Dak Prescott which was not good enough, they were 3 and 5.

"We’re talking about Mike McCarthy being back right now, it’s crazy. That’s ludicrous.”

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Potential options Cowboys could pursue to replace Mike McCarthy

The 2025 NFL coaching carousel will certainly be interesting with a good mix of seasoned candidates and up-and-coming co-ordinators looking to make the step up.

The likes of Rex Ryan, Bill Belichick and Mike Vrabel are all open to coaching jobs next year, though Ryan has his sights firmly set on the vacant New York Jets job. Elsewhere, former college head coaches like Todd Monken and Jeff Hafley could also be in the pool while veteran assistants like Lou Anarumo and Aaron Glenn could also be under consideration.

For franchises looking for the next big thing, two names to keep an eye out for could be Detroit Lions OC Ben Johnson and Tampa Bay Buccaneers OC Liam Coen.

When it comes to the Cowboys, though, the franchise has historically looked away from hiring first-time head coaches. One name who has Michael Irvin's support is Deion Sanders, though it remains to be seen if he will follow his son Shedeur back into the league. Jerry Jones also has a pretty good relationship with Bill Belichick while Mike Vrabel has also been touted as a culture setter.

In any case, McCarthy heads into the Thanksgiving Day matchup with the New York Giants with a 46-32 record as the Cowboys head coach since 2020. If they pick up a win this week, McCarthy will tie Bill Parcells for the 14th-most regular-season wins in NFL history at 172.