Jerry Jones heaps more praise on Mike McCarthy, no announcement of coach's future

After the Dallas Cowboys loss to the Washington Commanders, Jerry Jones was still singing the praises of Mike McCarthy but won't comment on his future.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones walks off the field before the game between the Washington Commanders and the Dallas Cowboys. | Peter Casey-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys fell to 7-10 with a last-second loss at home to the Washington Commanders. Terry McLaurin hauled in a game-winning touchdown, which was a fitting end to a frustrating season for Dallas.

Throughout the year, there was a lot of drama — mostly concerning contracts. Team owner/general manager Jerry Jones took forever to sign Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb to extensions and elected to send head coach Mike McCarthy into the season without a deal beyond 2024.

MORE: Trey Lance's future should be clear after Week 18 performance vs. Commanders

That's made McCarthy's future a hot topic, which is why one of the first questions Jones received following the Week 18 loss was about the head coach. Jones said he hasn't made a decision on the future but heaped plenty of praise on McCarthy.

The first comments from #DallasCowboys owner Jerry Jones after the #Cowboys season comes to an end — in which he addresses Mike McCarthy’s future.#NFL #Dallas #JerryJones pic.twitter.com/teKVYIMLbM

— Pat Doney (@PatDoneyNBC5) January 5, 2025

Jones said that McCarthy is one of the top coaches in the game and that "he did nothing to diminish my opinion of him as a coach" this year.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) talks to head coach Mike McCarthy | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

He added that he was impressed with the way the players responded to McCarthy.

Dallas was just 3-7 at one point, winning four of their final seven games. Still, they were 2-7 at home and were plagued by bad decisions. Not all the mistakes were McCarthy's fault — with Jones bungling the offseason — but Jones isn't likely taking the blame, which is why McCarthy might be gone very soon.

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