Cowboys will retain McCarthy as coach
Mike McCarthy will get another chance to end a nearly three-decade stretch without a deep playoff run for the Cowboys.
Owner and general manager Jerry Jones said Wednesday night McCarthy will be back for a fifth season as coach after a stunning 48-32 wild-card loss to Green Bay.
The Cowboys were the first No. 2 seed to lose since the 14team format was adopted in 2020. Dallas surged to the NFC East title in the final two weeks and had a chance for multiple home playoff games.
Instead, McCarthy’s team is the first not to reach a conference title game after three consecutive 12-win playoff seasons.
“There is great benefit to continuing the team’s progress under Mike’s leadership as our head coach,” Jones said in a statement with several references to the disappointment of the playoff loss. “Mike has the highest regular-season winning percentage of any head coach in Cowboys history and we will dedicate ourselves, in partnership with him, to translating that into reaching our postseason goals.”
McCarthy has one year remaining on his contract. Jones’s statement made no mention of an extension.
Quinn, Titans talk
The Titans interviewed Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn virtually, making him the fifth to interview for their head coaching job.
The Titans announced the interview had concluded via
Zoom. Quinn joins Raiders interim coach Antonio Pierce, Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, and Giants offensive coordinator
Mike Kafka.
No NFL team can interview coaching candidates in person until Monday after the divisional round of the playoffs.
Quinn has been Dallas’s coordinator since 2021, and he had the same job with Seattle in 2013 and 2014 as the Seahawks made back-to-back Super Bowls. Quinn then took over as Atlanta's head coach in 2015 through 2020 where he went 43-42 with a Super Bowl berth after the 2016 season.
The Titans are looking for their sixth head coach since controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk fired Mike Vrabel Jan. 9 after six seasons and losing 18 of his final 24.
Irsay unresponsive
First responders found Colts owner Jim Irsay, 64, unresponsive and struggling to breathe in early December when they responded to an emergency call from inside the home, TMZ.com reported Wednesday.
The online outlet cited police records from Carmel, Ind., a northern suburb of Indianapolis, that detailed the Dec. 8 incident. TMZ.com said the police report revealed Irsay had a “blue skin tone” when they arrived and he was treated with Narcan, a medicine that can reverse an opioid overdose. Eventually, he was transported to a hospital.
Irsay has a history of addiction to pain killers and has publicly addressed the problems he has faced, most recently in November when he told HBO Sports he had sought treatment at least 15 times.
Earlier this month, Irsay cancelled a performance in Los Angeles with the Jim Irsay Band because of what team officials described as a severe respiratory illness. When asked for an update on Irsay’s condition last week, general manager Chris Ballard said he was stable and he was getting through it.
Tomlin plans return
Mike Tomlin told Steelers players and members of his coaching staff he plans to remain the coach next season, a person familiar with the situation confirmed. Tomlin is under contract through next year.