FRISCO, Texas – It has been reported since Monday, but the team announced the decision Tuesday afternoon: the Dallas Cowboys officially have a new head coach.
Mike McCarthy, the former long-time Packers coach who won a Super Bowl with Green Bay inside AT&T Stadium in 2011, has been hired as the ninth coach in Cowboys history. The deal is reportedly for five years. A press conference has been scheduled for Wednesday at 3 pm at the Star in Frisco.
McCarthy interviewed for the job last weekend as the Cowboys announced that they would not seek a contract extension with Jason Garrett, their full-time head coach since 2011.
The 56-year-old McCarthy coached the Packers from 2006-18 and compiled a 125-77-2 record with nine playoff appearances, including eight straight from 2009-16. Only three other coaches in NFL history, including Cowboys legend Tom Landry, accomplished that feat. The Packers also went to four NFC Championship games under McCarthy.
His 13-year tenure in Green Bay coincided with quarterback Aaron Rodgers' rise as one of the NFL's all-time great players. He also coached Hall of Famer Brett Favre for two seasons (2007-08). And, from 1993-94 he was on the Kansas City's offensive staff when Hall of Famer Joe Montana quarterbacked the Chiefs.
That experience undoubtedly made McCarthy an attractive candidate to the Cowboys with quarterback Dak Prescott coming off a career season. Prescott finished 2019 one yard short of the franchise's all-time passing yardage record along with a career-high 30 touchdown passes in his fourth season as a starter.
McCarthy's 2010 championship season in Green Bay was also Garrett's first year on the job in Dallas. The Cowboys announced Sunday night that Garrett, after nine full seasons at the helm, would not have his contract renewed following an 8-8 finish and no playoffs this season.
"Jason Garrett's legacy with the Dallas Cowboys will always be that of someone who strived for greatness every day that he walked through the door, and as someone who instilled the virtues of enthusiasm, hard work and appreciation for the profession in all of the men who played with him and for him," Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones said in a statement. "He is, and always will remain, a cherished member of the Dallas Cowboys family, and his contributions to the organization are greatly appreciated."
Relieved of his duties in Green Bay late in the 2018 season, McCarthy spent this season out of football preparing for his next opportunity.
He's now tasked with getting a young and talented roster back to the playoffs and championship contention.
