Mike McCarthy entered this season as a lame-duck coach for the Dallas Cowboys. Most expected his stay would depend on postseason success.

Then, star quarterback Dak Prescott sustained a season-ending hamstring injury in a 27-21 loss to the Falcons on Nov. 3. That was in the midst of what became a five-game losing streak, and there were questions about whether McCarthy would be a midseason firing by owner Jerry Jones. After all, the playoff chances became slimmer and slimmer each week and officially came to an end about four hours before the Cowboys hosted the Buccaneers on Sunday night.

But, as the NFL reminds us repeatedly, expect the unexpected. McCarthy is far from a dead man walking seven weeks later. Despite the postseason chances coming to an end, McCarthy continues to make a strong case to return to the Cowboys following a 26-24 victory over the Bucs. This is a team that has now won four of its last five games with hope the momentum carries into 2025.

Jones praised McCarthy in his postgame news conference afterward.

“Mike McCarthy, he just won’t let them not think they’re playing for a Super Bowl out there,” Jones said. “He won’t let them do it. Proud of that. Proud of the coach.”

But Jones stopped short of saying McCarthy is returning next season.

“Just so we’re clear, all I can say is what good of a job he’s doing,” Jones said. “I don’t have thoughts that I would share as to anything about what we do with our days after we’re through playing this year. I don’t have anything I would share about that.”

With that being said, McCarthy will have a say in his own future, given that he’ll be hitting the free agent market too. As FOX analyst and Hall of Famer Troy Aikman said a few weeks ago on 105.3 The Fan about McCarthy returning to the Cowboys, “Short of Bill Belichick, I don’t know who you’re going to bring in that has a better resume.”

That rings true for other coach-needy teams too.

With Belichick headed to the college ranks, how do other organizations in the coaching market view McCarthy? The Bears, for instance, could be an intriguing organization for both sides. For the Bears, a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in four years, McCarthy would bring a track record of success. For McCarthy, the Bears have one of the promising young quarterbacks in Caleb Williams.

Or maybe the Jets could be interested in McCarthy. That is an organization that hasn’t made the postseason since 2010 and could bring in a Super Bowl-winning coach who has a career record of 174-110-2.

Still, the Cowboys would seemingly have the inside track with McCarthy’s familiarity with the organization and roster. Given the number of injuries the Cowboys faced this season, it remains a team that many expect can contend now.

As linebacker Micah Parsons said after the game, “You need to go through things. Everything can’t be sunshine and rainbows. I’m looking to finish this year strong and prove to these guys that we can get over anything.”

McCarthy deserves credit for building that type of mindset and culture within the locker room. And, at this point, he seems like the best option for the Cowboys moving forward.