Cowboys Rumors: Head Coaching Change Could Come With Playoff Loss To Buccaneers

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has insisted that head coach Mike McCarthy's job isn't on the line in the 2023 NFL playoffs, but not everyone is buying it. There continues to be speculation that the Cowboys might look to make a coaching change if the team loses against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wild-Card Weekend.

ESPN's Dan Graziano said on "Get Up" Thursday that there will be conversations within the organization about whether or not to move on from McCarthy if the Cowboys don't beat the Buccaneers. It's a sentiment that is shared by others who cover Dallas, which is trying to avoid a second straight first-round playoff exit.

There were rumors last year that McCarthy could be on the hot seat after the team was beaten at home by the San Francisco 49ers in their wild-card playoff game. The Cowboys ran out of time to complete a comeback at the end of regulation when Dak Prescott ran a quarterback draw, even though Dallas was out of timeouts.

McCarthy has led the Cowboys to consecutive postseason appearances for the first time in 15 years. Dallas hasn't lost on Wild-Card Weekend in back-to-back seasons since 1998-99. Expectations are high for a Cowboys team that has gone 24-10 in the last two seasons and is paying its quarterback an average of $40 million per season.

Sean Payton's availability is looming over the talk of McCarthy being on the hot season. There have been rumors for years that Jones might hire Peyton, a former quarterbacks coach with Dallas, to be the Cowboys head coach.

Payton is the hottest name on the coach market. The Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans have all reportedly received permission from the New Orleans Saints to interview Payton. The Saints still own Payton's rights because he stepped down as the team's head coach with time left on his contract.

If the Cowboys lose, Payton wouldn't necessarily have to be McCarthy's replacement. According to Graziano, current defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is probably the leading candidate to become Dallas' next head coach in the event that the team makes a change.

"I have real confidence, all the confidence in the world in Mike and our offensive line coaches and our offensive personnel, our coordinator," Jones told 103.5 The Fan earlier in the week. "I have all the faith in the world that we can make the kind of adjustments we need to make this week.

"I can see us playing better. We've got to play better at Tampa, but I've got confidence in our coaches to get that straightened out."

McCarthy has a 30-19 record as the Cowboys coach. He won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers and went 125-77-2 from 2006-2018.

Since Dave Campo was fired at the end of them 2002 season, no Cowboys head coach has lasted for fewer than four seasons. Jason Garrett spent 10 seasons as Dallas' head coach from 2010-2019, despite no trips to the NFC Championship Game and constant speculation about his job security.

The Cowboys are 2.5-point favorites in Tampa Bay.