Before they kicked off Sunday Night Football against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Dallas Cowboys‘ players and coaches had already been made aware of a development that did not seem imaginable when the 2024 season began in September. Due to results elsewhere around the league, the 6-8 Cowboys had been eliminated from playoff contention despite fielding one of the league’s most talented rosters.
Blame for Dallas‘ disappointing season has been laid at the feet of longtime owner Jerry Jones and embattled head coach Mike McCarthy — who has led the Cowboys while dealing with the uncertainty of an expiring contract amid a wave of injuries and persistent rumors that Jones was looking to replace him in 2025 with University of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, who won a Super Bowl with the Cowboys in 1995 as their star cornerback. But even as Sanders‘ coaching stock has soared amidst Colorado‘s strong season, Jones has been steadfast in his commitment to seeing things through with McCarthy, whom he hired in 2020.
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During the Cowboys’ SNF showdown with the NFC South-leading Buccaneers, analyst Cris Collinsworth observed determination and resilience from a Dallas team playing without quarterback Dak Prescott as it battled a Bucs squad that is in the thick of a playoff race.
A strong defense and an efficient performance from backup signal-caller Cooper Rush saw the Cowboys jump out to a 20-7 lead in the second quarter at AT&T Stadium. And as Dallas continued to lead in the second half, NBC cameras panned to Jones in the owner’s box, while Collinsworth remarked that the ‘Boys were “the definition of a team not rolling over and fighting”.
Those virtues, plus Sanders’ well-documented desire to continue building a strong program at Colorado in the NCAA, give Jones a clear path to extending McCarthy’s contract. It may be the path of least resistance, allowing a known quantity at least one more shot at ending the Cowboys’ 29-year Super Bowl drought while recovering Prescott, injured cornerback Trevon Diggs, injured linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, and others. But in his later years, Jones is prioritizing stability for a team that is ending the season strong after its 26-24 win over Tampa Bay.
