What’s next for Mike McCarthy? Why former Cowboys coach won’t be on NFL sidelines for upcoming 2025 season

While the NFL’s offseason coaching carousel has not been fully completed, fans will not see Mike McCarthy on any team’s sideline during the 2025 season.

After the Cowboys let his contract expire, McCarthy quickly became a hot name on the coaching market. However, he decided to focus on next offseason’s coaching cycle, according to a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport.

With just one job opening remaining, this ends any speculation that McCarthy would be in line for a return to New Orleans, where he was an offensive coordinator for five seasons.

Here’s more on McCarthy’s decision and what could be next for him.

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What’s next for Mike McCarthy?

After he was a top candidate in 2025, McCarthy will shift his focus to the 2026 offseason. Much like this year, McCarthy is again expected to be a sought-after candidate during next year’s coaching cycle.

Each NFL season serves as a reminder of the volatility of the coaching business, and it is almost guaranteed that more openings will present themselves after next season. The question for McCarthy is where?

This offseason, the Bears, Cowboys, Jaguars, Jets, Patriots and Raiders have found their next leaders, and the Saints will soon make a head coaching hire. And while the likelihood of having seven openings next season may not be high, there will certainly be a few situations worth monitoring.

McCarthy will turn 62 in November and will still have plenty of years of coaching ahead of him during next year’s coaching cycle.

The reputation McCarthy has built as an offensive mind will make him an attractive candidate should a situation open anywhere, but especially in a place like Cincinnati or San Francisco. If the Bengals or 49ers miss the postseason for a second consecutive year, McCarthy’s pedigree would move him to the front of the line as a candidate.

This past season also taught us that it’s impossible to predict what jobs could become open. Teams underperform and coaches are fired or, as we’ve also seen, some coaches decide to move on to different situations or retire.

McCarthy’s decision to sit out the upcoming season to wait on a more ideal situation could very well be a calculated one. Time will tell what will open up and where he will land, but it’s safe to assume he’ll be back coaching in a year.

NFL COACHING NEWS:

Mike McCarthy coaching record

McCarthy first took over as a head coach in 2006 when he was with the Packers. He spent 13 years with Green Bay, and the 2024 season was his fifth with the Cowboys.