Mike McCarthy Replacement Candidates: Who Will Coach Dallas Cowboys Next?

It’s no secret that Mike McCarthy is on the hot seat. The Dallas Cowboys are in the midst of a forgettable season, sitting at 3-6 and with starting quarterback Dak Prescott sidelined the rest of the season.

Now, much attention is on who may be the Cowboys’ next coach. Yes, McCarthy is still under contract, but his five-year deal expires at the end of the season. This is a very similar situation to the Jason Garrett era, as owner Jerry Jones—despite running the most valuable franchise in the world—refuses to buyout coaches early.

Garrett entered the 2014 season as a “lame duck,” but earned a five-year extension after leading the Cowboys to a 12-4 record and NFC East title. Garrett faced the same situation in 2019, but didn’t get an extension after posting the fourth 8-8 season of his tenure.

Jones continued the trend of coaches entering “lame duck” seasons with McCarthy and his staff in the final year of their contracts. All signs point toward McCarthy’s fate being that of Garrett following the 2019 season.

With that being said, who could the Cowboys turn to in 2025? Jones provided the latest fodder when he was asked about former tight end Jason Witten being a future NFL head coach during a radio appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas.

“Yes, without hesitation,” Jones told the station on Friday. “He has something that you can’t draw up. He reminds me a lot of our other tight end, who is head coach up there in Detroit right now [Dan Campbell].”

Witten is currently coaching at Liberty Christian High School in Argyle, a Dallas-Fort Worth suburb, leading the school to a state championship in 2023. Witten, for all of his accolades as a player, has never coached at the NFL level. Campbell, on the other hand, had 10-plus years coaching in the league before being handed the reins in Detroit. Simply put, it would be quite the jump for Witten.

Deion Sanders is another former player who has been mentioned as a candidate, as he’s enjoying success in the college ranks. Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who finished his playing days with the Cowboys and then served as a coach, including as the team’s offensive coordinator from 2019-22, has been a favorite of Jones. Another name worth mentioning is Kliff Kingsbury, the Commanders’ offensive coordinator and former Cardinals coach.

Of course, Bill Belichick will always be listed among the possibilities. He’s the greatest football coach of this generation, and it’s easy to wonder what could be with him becoming the Cowboys coach. But Belichick also had losing seasons in three of his last four years in New England.

All of those names mentioned will create plenty of talk show segments and buzz. And with Jones making the ultimate decision, who knows? Maybe one of them emerges as the next coach.

However, there is one name that would make more sense than anyone mentioned—former Titans coach Mike Vrabel. 

Vrabel is the betting favorite to become the next Cowboys coach. Vrabel would be widely viewed as a home run hire, too, as he won two AFC South titles and reached the playoffs three times in six seasons with the Titans.

Plus, Vrabel would be the first defensive-minded head coaching hire the Cowboys have made since bringing in Wade Phillips in 2007. They’ve since tried the promising up-and-coming offensive guru (Garrett) and then brought in a proven winner (McCarthy). Both had success to varying degrees, but the Cowboys are going on 29 years since reaching the Super Bowl.

The Cowboys have cycled through six coaches in that timeframe. Maybe Lucky No. 7 returns the franchise to glory.