Mike McCarthy has managed to earn another year as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys and analysts as well as fans are in shock. After losing in blowout fashion to the seventh-seeded Green Bay Packers, seemingly everyone, including Stephen A. Smith, is taking potshots at Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones over his decision. Here was Smith’s latest call out of Jones:

He continued, explaining his disgust with the praise Jones showered on McCarthy:

Mike McCarthy left to deal with potentially weaker roster and staff in 2024

It felt like a win-now moment for the Dallas Cowboys all season long. However, following their Wild Card bounce, the team is now left with the difficult task of keeping the roster together. Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb are due a massive contract as is defensive star Micah Parsons.

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is expected by many to have a head coaching job next season as well. This leaves Mike McCarthy with the task of getting the best out of the younger players as well as the veterans such as CeeDee Lamb who could be playing on a massive pay raise with financial protections that dilute urgency and pressure.

Of course, there’s the chance that with several stars in line for a pay bump, not every player will get one this offseason. This would leave McCarthy with the unenviable task of attempting to work through potential hold-out situations in OTAs and training camp.

Put simply, losing pieces and losing motivation from others leaves even more pressure on the head coach. Will McCarthy find a way to keep the Cowboys standard of a division title over the Philadelphia Eagles, 12 wins and a playoff berth in 2024?