MIKE McCarthy has been tipped to continue as Dallas Cowboys coach despite a season to forget.
The head coach is out of contract at the AT&T Stadium after the 2024 season.
And Dallas has fallen to 5-8 this year with their playoff hopes all but over.
Owner Jerry Jones resisted calls to fire McCarthy after a string of heavy home losses earlier in the season.
He made a bold statement a few weeks ago when he declared that McCarthy could yet be awarded a contract extension.
McCarthy is a Super Bowl champion with the Green Bay Packers and led the Cowboys to 12-5 wins in the last three seasons.
But Dallas has won just one playoff game in that time – leading to calls for a change.
A new report from The Athletic’s Dianni Russini claims the “feeling around the league” is that McCarthy will be back in 2025.
It comes after Dallas Cowboys icon Troy Aikman publicly backed McCarthy to continue in his current role.
The former quarterback turned ESPN broadcaster won three Super Bowls in his career with Dallas.
And he said on 105.3 The Fan, via The Athletic, “As we stand and talk right now, I expect Mike McCarthy to be back in 2025.
“Short of Bill Belichick, I don’t know who you’re going to bring in that has a better resume.
“I just feel that for a team that I really do not think is that far away.
“I like the way this team is playing right now, even without their franchise quarterback.”
He added, “I sense that it’s a team that really believes in Mike McCarthy.
“I feel the locker room wants him back. I think he’s a really good football coach.
“I believe Jerry Jones thinks he’s a really good football coach, too.”
'Match made in heaven'
By Sunni Upal, Deputy U.S. Sports Editor
Deion Sanders becoming head coach of the Dallas Cowboys is a match made in heaven.
It’s been 30 years now since the Cowboys last won a Super Bowl and something has to change.
This is “America’s Team,” but it has become a laughing stock and needs someone to restore them to their past glory.
That candidate who takes over from Mike McCarthy at head coach must have some magic and inspiration.
Step forward, Deion Sanders.
Sanders, 57, is one of the best players to have ever stepped on the field and was on Dallas’ team the last time they won a Super Bowl.
He is quite literally ‘Prime Time’ and that spark is exactly what the Cowboys need.
As for Deion, now is the perfect time for him to move on as well.
He has taken the Buffaloes to new heights both in terms of results and popularity.
His son, Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders, is also in his senior year in college.
Sanders could probably land a head coaching job on a legitimate national championship contender if he wants to stay in college.
But a chance to coach the Dallas Cowboys may not come calling again.
Quarterback Dak Prescott has also previously shown support for McCarthy.
“I don’t think that’s crazy at all,” Jones said of a potential contract extension for McCarthy during a radio appearance last month.
“This is a Super Bowl-winning coach.
“Mike McCarthy has been there and done that. He has great ideas.
“We got a lot of football left.”