A Former Packers coach is on the hot seat
A former Packers coach who started the season on the hot seat remains there after winning 12 games this season and losing his starting quarterback for five games. Mike McCarthy and the Dallas Cowboys went into Week 18 competing for the NFC East title. The Washington Commanders blew them out 26-6. One NFL analyst thinks Cowboys owner Jerry Jones could replace McCarthy if they lose next weekend.
The Cowboys will go on the road to play the underperforming 8-9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Cowboys should be able to handle the disappointing Buccaneers. However, McCarthy has yet to win a playoff game with Dallas. They lost to the San Francisco 49ers last postseason after the 12-5 Cowboys won their division. Jones wants to see McCarthy win with the talent he has. Unfortunately for the former Packers headman, his Cowboys lost their season opener to Tom Brady and the Buccaneers.
Sean Payton could replace McCarthy
The matchup between the Cowboys and Buccaneers was a hot topic on the show Good Morning Football on the NFL Network. Hosts Peter Schrager and Kyle Brandt predicted the Cowboys would fire McCarthy if the Cowboys lost next weekend. Brandt, who thinks the Cowboys’ brand of football right now is too dull to win a playoff game, believes the Cowboys would look to hire Sean Payton to replace the former Packers coach:
“Just for the record, and I will state my opinion on this,” Brandt said. “If the Cowboys lose next weekend, I don’t care if it’s 21 to 20 on a late-game field goal. I think that Sean Payton will be the head coach within 15 minutes of the game being over. That’s how strongly I feel about that. And McCarthy has had a great regular season, and he had one last year.”
Payton is currently under a contract with the Saints
Payton would make a lot of sense for the Cowboys. The Super Bowl-winning coach has a good relationship with Jones. Payton’s leadership skills have him linked to open coaching jobs like the Denver Broncos. But his services will cost a hefty fee.
Not only would a team need to pay Payton’s salary, but his current contract with the New Orleans Saints has two more years before expiry. It’s assumed the Saints would want at least a first-round contract before another team could hire him.
One wonders if that’s worth parting with McCarthy, who has back-to-back seasons with 12 wins. After all, Payton, like McCarthy, has only one Super Bowl to his name. Payton also has a history of blowing playoff games as the favorite.
