Cowboys’ Top 5 Candidates to Replace Mike McCarthy as Head Coach

The Dallas Cowboys and the owner/general manager Jerry Jones will officially seek their 10th head coach ever, after parting ways with Mike McCarthy.

Former Super Bowl winner McCarthy and Dallas parted ways on Monday. Multiple reports revealed that the two sides never reached an agreement on a new contract. This now opens up one of the most coveted positions in the league with the Super Bowl XLV champion.

There’s no doubt the Cowboys will look attractive to multiple suitors. But we’ve narrowed the list down to five viable options to replace McCarthy. Two of the beloved Dallas players are gone. Here are five worth keeping an eye on.

Fans are already clamoring for Deion Sanders to return. Colorado’s head coach has a lot of star power. Dallas fans also know of his previous ties to the franchise as a Super Bowl-winning cornerback.

“Coach Prime” would inherit a playoff-ready roster. Although there could be personnel conflicts between him and Jones. Sanders would likely want to take advantage of his sons Shedeur and Shiloh plus Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter entering the draft. Adding at least two of the three has the potential to create ripple effects for a roster already stacked with All-Pro talent.

But Sanders’ personality and fiery coaching are able to reignite this fan base. The NFL Hall of Famer has already re-galvanized two fan bases in Jackson State and Colorado. Sanders can come in and spark a new aura in a hurry here.

Kliff Kingsbury went 28-37-1 as coach of the Arizona Cardinals. But he achieved impressive work with Washington’s commanders.

He is the offensive coordinator behind Jayden Daniels and his epic NFL debut. Kingsbury took over a unit that ranked 24th in yards and lifted them to seventh on the season.

Perhaps a beloved former Cowboy can facilitate the move: former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. Kingbury’s ties to Texas make him an even more attractive fit for the position. But Kingbury would have an abundance of talent to work with compared to his Cardinal teams.

Pete Carrollformer head coach of the Seattle Seahawks

Pete Carroll is apparently trying to get back into the head coaching job. He is on the radar of the Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders.

Dallas, however, presents itself as even more attractive with an abundance of talent to inherit. Carroll gets to coach names like Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, and will also be drafted in the top 10 in April.

Jones, however, would lure an older former Super Bowl-winning head coach — which McCarthy was. 73-year-old Carroll will face age discrimination. How he would work with Jones is another possible recipe for disaster, as Carroll is known for making his own personnel decisions as well. Still, don’t be shocked if Carroll makes it here, or Dallas reaches for the 2013 season champion.

There is still a name that is familiar to the Cowboys staff. Kellen Moore enters the picture here.

McCarthy initially retained Moore after Jason Garrett was sacked. McCarthy still canned Moore for Brian Schottenheimer. But Moore remains one of HC’s most coveted targets during the offseason.

Moore has a previous relationship with Prescott and Lamb. But this time around, he’d like to improve Dallas’ running game. Moore put together the second-best ground game in the league with Saquon Barkley. The Boise State legend would even have a chance to draft Ashton Ginty to restart this franchise. Moore’s past ties to Dallas make him hard to rule out.

Ready for a surprise? But a name that has a lot of praise among Cowboys nation? Legendary tight end Jason Witten lands here.

Witten it has its own name as a “legitimate job candidate” by Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Jones he said in November 2024 that Witten’s coaching future looks bright — drawing parallels to Dan Campbell with the Detroit Lions.

However, Witten comes with no NFL coaching experience. He currently leads Liberty Christian School, a high school in Argyle, Texas. But he’s a franchise legend who can mesh with the current players in the locker room if they bring them in.

Elsewhere, the Lions’ Ben Johnson looks very attractive. But he’s being courted by the Raiders, who have Tom Brady at the helm of that pending move. Aaron Glenn, a fellow Lions assistant, played for Dallas in 2005 and 2006. However, Glenn is one of the early favorites to land with another team, the New York Jets.

Even eight-time Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick associated with a new openingaccording to Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports. But he’s making his first roster at North Carolina.