After one team came calling in an attempt to poach their coach, the Dallas Cowboys are rejecting approaches for Mike McCarthy.
That includes from the Chicago Bears, with reports indicating that they wanted to approach McCarthy to make a return to the NFC North.
But according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Cowboys have denied the Bears’ request to interview McCarthy.
It’s a puzzling decision, considering that McCarthy has only gone 49-35 in five seasons with Dallas and has never reached the NFC Championship game in that time.
A number of Cowboys fans have been calling for McCarthy’s job for years – including many during this season – as Dallas suffered its second losing season under the 61-year-old coach.
But instead, team owner and de-facto general manager Jerry Jones believes that McCarthy deserves a sixth season.
The Dallas Cowboys have denied the Chicago Bears request to interview Mike McCarthy
Chicago is looking for a full-time replacement after they fired Matt Eberflus mid-season
It leaves the Bears looking for another coach as Chicago is one of six teams with vacancies at that position.
Chicago has already lined up interviews with the following coaches: former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, and former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.
Among the more interesting requests for interviews the Bears have sent out include Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, Washington Commanders offensive coordinator (and former Cardinals head coach) Kliff Kingsbury, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator (and former Atlanta Falcons head coach) Arthur Smith, and Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady.
Outside of the NFL world, the Bears have also filed a request to interview Iowa State head football coach Matt Campbell.
In addition to the Bears, teams searching for their next head coach include the New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Las Vegas Raiders.
This season, the Bears finished 5-12. They were coached by Matt Eberflus up until November 29, when he was fired after posting a 4-8 record.
