Cowboys Keep McCarthy, Tomlin Set to Return to Steelers in 2024
Hours after the Cowboys’ 2023 season came to an abrupt end with the upset of the Green Bay Packers, we examine the possible successors if Mike McCarthy were fired by Dallas.
That has proven doubtful so far, as the Cowboys have decided to keep McCarthy. But the road to finally hiring one of the most interesting candidates on the list is still there.Of the four candidates we wrote about in the original piece, three – Jim Harbaugh, Bill Belichick and Mike Vrabel – are not currently under contract with any NFL teams. The fourth, Tomlin, is.
And as it turns out, Tomlin will return to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024 for the final year of his current contract.
Tomlin, now the NFL’s longest-tenured coach, even expressed optimism about reaching a long-term deal to continue in his current role. andquot;I’m looking forward to coming back and I imagine these contract matters will take their own pace,andquot; Tomlin said. andquot;Art [Rooney II] and I have a really good, transparent relationship.
We keep in touch often. I don’t think it will be a problem and I imagine it will be done on time and in time, but I think about training his football team.andquot ; But until the ink dries on a new contract, Tomlin will be a lame duck in 2024. He can play out the final year of his contract, giving him the option to choose his destination in 2025 — either the Steelers, another team or a year to freeload.
As CowboysSI.com reported last Wednesday (and as the national media flooded over the weekend), McCarthy is not expected to sign a contract extension this season (of course not), which means he will also be a lame duck entering 2024. And while Jerry Jones has proven to be loyal enough to his coaches in recent years, if the Cowboys fail to reach the NFC title for the first time since the 1995 season, he may have no choice but to make a change.
And Tomlin would make even more sense next season than he did this year. Assuming he doesn’t sign an extension this offseason, Tomlin would be a free agent next year.
Had the Cowboys moved on from McCarthy that offseason, they would have had to make a deal with the Steelers in addition to Tomlin, which likely would have required significant draft compensation back to Pittsburgh.
In case you haven’t heard, the Steelers haven’t lost in 17 years with Tomlin at the helm. They haven’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season, but that’s partly because they had an aging Ben Roethlisberger and haven’t found an answer at the position over the last two years.
Dak Prescott may rightfully be criticized — especially when it comes to his postseason performance — but he’s light years better than Kenny Pickett or Mason Rudolph. And while it will take some time, Tomlin showed he can win in January when he has a legitimate quarterback with two AFC titles and a Super Bowl on his resume. There’s also no doubt that Tomlin can handle both the pressure of working for Jones and the feeling of every week being a Super Bowl with the Cowboys.
Heand has successfully managed one of the NFL’s great franchises for two decades, and while the Rooney family may not be as publicly involved as Jones, they certainly aren’t owned.
group And in a market like Dallas, it’s especially interesting to deal with the media, and probably no coach in the sport can respectfully shrug and observe internal affairs.The irony is that Tomlinand#039;s Steelers lost to the then McCarthy-led Packers in Super Bowl XLV. And where was this game played? Whatand is now called ATandT Stadium in Dallas. Weand isn’t saying Tomlin will be coaching the Cowboys in 2025. But it’s a fun rumor and would make a hell of a story, and you can definitely envision him being successful at the position. Copyright ABG-SI LLC.
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