Jerry Jones praised now-former Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy while explaining why the Dallas owner felt it was time for the two to go their separate ways. 

News broke on Monday that McCarthy would not be returning to coach the Cowboys after the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement on a new contract. 

Jones, in his statement, reiterated his praise for the job McCarthy did while leading the Cowboys and said he had “great respect for Mike,” before explaining that a “joint review” led to the realization that it was time to move on. 

“Over the past week, Mike and I had the opportunity to conduct a joint review of all aspects of the past season, our players and staff, and also spent considerable time discussing the road forward for the team,” Jones said. 

“These discussions were thorough and received an appropriate amount of time and depth to cover. Prior to reaching the point of contract negotiations, though, it became mutually clear that it would be better for each of us to head in a different direction. I thank Mike and wish him, his wife Jessica and their family the best. They have been a wonderful part of our community here. We will commence a search process immediately to hire the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.”

McCarthy has yet to publicly comment on the decision. 

McCarthy went 49-35 during his five seasons with the Cowboys and helped get the franchise to the playoffs in 2021, 2022 and 2023, but they won just one postseason game in that span. 

This past season, the Cowboys finished with a 7-10 record in 2024 while dealing with an injury to starting quarterback Dak Prescott. It led to speculation running rampant over whether McCarthy would be back next season. 

He also received interest in coaching jobs elsewhere, with the Bears making an official request to speak with him which was denied by the Cowboys. 

The Bears and Saints are both expected to be interested in McCarthy now that he is a coaching free agent.