Mike McCarthy Reflects On Cowboys Tenure, Missing Jerry Jones

Former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy will be returning to the NFL sidelines in 2026, for the first time since parting ways with the organization a year ago.

McCarthy was hired as the 17th head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and only the franchise's fourth head coach since 1969. McCarthy follows in the footsteps of Pro Football Hall of Famers Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher, as he replaces former NFL Coach of the Year and future Hall of Famer Mike Tomlin.

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The move to Pittsburgh takes McCarthy back to his hometown, but during the annual league meetings in Phoenix, Arizona, this week, the head coach is reflecting on his time in Dallas.

While the McCarthy era in Big D came to an unfortunate end, he still remembers his time coaching under Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones fondly. In fact, McCarthy opened up about "missing" Jones after running into him at the league meeting.

Former Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy on his time in Dallas pic.twitter.com/2xqwMHbB2i
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) March 31, 2026

"Great experience," McCarthy said, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. "I think just like anything, especially the last couple of days, the people, just some great people there. Really enjoyed working with him. Jerry, I mean, I got to see him on Sunday. So I miss him in a lot of ways. The family and just the way they treat the people working there, that's definitely something I miss.

"But I'm thankful for all my experiences. The start was wild. I mean, the pandemic year was something I look back on. I felt like I could have done a better job. We just had a lot of balls in the air. But once we got the program going, I thought we kind of hit our stride there in the second year. And I really like the direction of the team when I left there, I liked the draft classes we put together. So I have nothing but great things to say about my experience at Dallas.

If there was anything negative about his time in Dallas, McCarthy joked about the added media attention that comes with coaching America's Team.

"Media's a pain in the ass, but, you know, there has to be one thing," McCarthy joked.

Mike McCarthy's Dallas Cowboys Tenure

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones answers questions with head coach Mike McCarthy during a press conference at the Star. | Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images

The Green Bay Packers fired McCarthy after Week 13 of the 2018 season, and the Cowboys later hired him before the start of the 2020 campaign. McCarthy began his Cowboys tenure with a 6-10 record before leading the team to three consecutive 12-5 seasons.

In his final year at the helm in Dallas, the Cowboys finished with a 7-10 record, and missed the postseason. That is when the franchise was turned over to former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.

McCarthy finished his Dallas tenure with a head coaching record of 49-35 in the regular season, and 1-3 in the playoffs.

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