The Dallas Cowboys have denied permission to the Chicago Bears to interview coach Mike McCarthy, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday.
Multiple sources said Monday the Bears had sought permission to speak with McCarthy regarding their head coaching vacancy.
McCarthy’s contract expires Wednesday, but the Cowboys hold exclusive negotiating rights through Jan. 14. After that McCarthy would become a coaching free agent.
Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones continued to praise McCarthy after Sunday’s season-ending loss to the Washington Commanders but was noncommittal regarding the coach’s future in Dallas.
McCarthy said he “absolutely” wants to return to Dallas, where he has posted a 49-35 regular-season record but is just 1-3 in the playoffs. The Cowboys finished 7-10 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2020, McCarthy’s first season.
Jones was asked then whether he would allow a team to speak to McCarthy if it sought permission, and he said he just did something similar with running back Ezekiel Elliott, releasing him in the final week of the season for the chance to join a playoff team.
“I wouldn’t want anybody coaching who didn’t want to be here,” Jones said.
Jones and McCarthy are set to meet this week on the direction of the franchise.
“I have a lot invested here. And the Cowboys have a lot invested in me,” McCarthy said Sunday. “And then there’s a personal side to all these decisions. They all point the right direction. I think anytime you invest your time, energy, your belief, the connection you have, the relationships that are in place here, the understanding of what the organization can do and is willing to do, those are all positive attributes that you take into account. But, you know, absolutely, I’m a builder. I believe in building programs. I believe in developing young players. So, at the end of day, it is about winning, and you have to have those components in place to get this thing where it needs to be. I think we have a very good foundation here.”
McCarthy’s 174 wins are 13th in NFL history. He coached the Green Bay Packers from 2006 to 2018 and won six NFC North titles and Super Bowl XLV.
ESPN’s Todd Archer contributed to this report.