Troy Aikman didn't let his feelings surface about his former team, the Dallas Cowboys, who didn't bring Mike McCarthy back as head coach.
Aikman said during an appearance on ESPN's “Monday Night Countdown” before calling the NFC Wild Card showdown between the Rams and Vikings that the Cowboys had fallen out on Monday with a coach as talented as McCarthy. He said he was caught off guard by the contract negotiations.
“I thought Mike McCarthy was going to be the head coach, so it's kind of a surprise today that he's not going to be the head coach,” Aikman said. “This suggests there's no real plan, it suggests they haven't had a chance to interview (Lions') Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn and others.
“As long as (Eagles offensive coordinator) Kellen Moore is a candidate, what (Adam) Schefter said seems logical to me. I'm familiar with this building, I'm familiar with the Cowboys, I'm familiar with Jerry Jones. , they know each other very well. It's hard to imagine anything more.”
Aikman, who won three Super Bowls with Dallas, questioned whether the Cowboys are still a desirable destination for top coaching candidates, even though they are “America's team.”
“I don’t know if that’s accurate when it comes to coveted jobs,” Aikman said. “I think the Cowboys are obviously a high-profile team. Whoever the head coach of that team is, it's definitely going to get a lot of attention. Most football people who take over the head coaching position are going to get a lot of attention. I think they want to do it because of their convenience.That's difficult. Take Dan Campbell (of the Lions), for example, if he's with the Dallas Cowboys, is Dan Campbell just Dan Campbell? It's hard to imagine him being that way. It's hard to imagine that many of the coaches might be like that.
“I love the Dallas Cowboys. I played there for 12 years. I wish them all the best. But I don't know if I necessarily agree with that, whether it's a coveted job.”
Jones' versatility and role as general manager gave the Cowboys a very unique situation, one that McCarthy seemed to navigate during his five-year tenure that ended Monday.
“Last week, Mike and I had the opportunity to jointly review all aspects of our players, staff, and past seasons, and we spent significant time discussing the future direction of our team,” Jones said in a statement. .
“These discussions were thorough and covered an appropriate amount of time and depth. However, before we reached contract negotiations, we realized that it would be better for each of us to go in different directions. We are very grateful to Mike and wish him, his wife Jessica, and their family all the best. They are great members of our community here. We will immediately begin the search process to hire the team's next head coach.”
McCarthy had a 49-35 record with the Cowboys, making the playoffs in 2021, 2022 and 2023, but won just one postseason game during that span. Dallas is 7-10 this season after losing starting QB Dak Prescott to injury in Week 9.
The Cowboys could play catch-up in their coaching search, as the Jets, Bears, Jaguars, Raiders and Saints have already begun the interview process. The Patriots recently hired Mike Vrabel to fill the vacancy.
However, FOX's Jordan Schultz reported Monday that Dallas has reached out to Colorado coach and former Cowboy Deion Sanders about the coaching vacancy.
Whoever takes the job will likely end up in a situation that Aikman hopes to improve.
“I think Mike McCarthy is an outstanding football coach, and he's proven that in this league,” Aikman said. “But you have to empower that head coach, and that's what Dallas has been missing since Jimmie Johnson left.”
