The Dallas Cowboys bungled their extension talks with Mike McCarthy despite having an exclusive, week-long negotiating window with the veteran coach at the end of the season.

McCarthy ended up leaving Dallas and the Cowboys scrambled to find a new head coach.

Ultimately, the team landed on longtime offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.

Meanwhile, McCarthy interviewed for some of the remaining coaching vacancies.

Now, with only the New Orleans Saints’ job still open, McCarthy has made a decision on his coaching future. He’s opting to sit out the upcoming season and focus on the 2026 hiring cycle instead, according to NFL insider Tom Pelissero on X.

McCarthy produced three straight 12-win seasons with the Cowboys, reaching the playoffs three times in five years. However, Dallas finished the 2024 season at 7-10 and the team went 1-3 overall in the playoffs under McCarthy, never getting past the divisional round.

The sudden decision to take a year off seems a bit strange. Particularly considering McCarthy was the betting favorite to land the Saints’ job.

He was thought of as a good fit in New Orleans and McCarthy has ties to the organization as he was the team’s offensive coordinator for five seasons, from 2000-2004.

Did the Saints really want to hire Mike McCarthy?

However a new report calls McCarthy’s narrative into question.

While it was assumed the Saints coveted the coach, sources suggest the team did not have a serious interest in hiring McCarthy, according to Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz on X. Now, Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive coordinator Kellen Moore appears to be the frontrunner for the gig.

And McCarthy decided to back out “before being shutout,” per Schultz.

Either way, it’s entirely possible that a year off is in McCarthy’s best interest after five seasons of dealing with Jerry Jones and the other unique stressors that come along with being the head coach of the Cowboys. McCarthy will likely be a highly sought after coach for teams seeking veteran leadership in 2026.

Still, his exit from Dallas was odd. When Jones declined the Chicago Bears’ request to interview McCarthy, it appeared as if the Cowboys were serious about retaining him.

But then the relationship just sort of faded away and McCarthy became a free agent.

Dallas went with Schottenheimer instead, a decision that is not popular among the fanbase. The move looks all the worse after a report suggested Kellen Moore wanted the Cowboys’ job.

Regardless, Dallas went with Schottenheimer – who’s somehow a retread despite being a first-time head coach – and McCarthy is wading into an uncertain future.