A source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday that head coach Mike McCarthy will not returning to the Dallas Cowboys after five seasons with the organization. McCarthy’s contract with the Cowboys expired last Wednesday, but the team held an exclusive negotiating window with him until Tuesday at midnight.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that the two sides were unable to come to terms on the length of contract, and decided to part ways. According to sources, Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones refused to let the Chicago Bears interview McCarthy during the Cowboys’ exclusive window, despite reportedly not engaging with the coach in contract negotiations.

The move comes after McCarthy and the Cowboys missed the playoffs this year, for the first time since his inaugural season in 2020.  This season the Cowboys finished with a 7-10 record, and McCarthy helped turn things around midway through the season, winning four of five games after initially falling to 3-7 at the start.

McCarthy owns a career 174-112-2 overall record; he previously served as coach of the Green Bay Packers for 13 seasons, leading them to the Super Bowl in 2010.

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