DALLAS — Mike McCarthy is the new head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.
McCarthy confirmed to NFL Network on Monday he signed a contract and will officially be introduced as the replacement for Jason Garrett, who was officially informed his contract would not be renewed on Sunday.
McCarthy, 56, had also met with the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants and Carolina Panthers.
He was fired by the Packers on Dec. 2, 2018, after the team dropped to 4-7-1 during his 13th season at the helm in Green Bay. He finished with a 125-77-2 regular-season record while going 10-8 in the postseason, including a victory in Super Bowl XLV in the 2010 season.
McCarthy’s Packers twice knocked Garrett’s Cowboys out of the playoffs, winning divisional-round games on Jan. 11, 2015 (26-21 at Lambeau Field) and Jan. 15, 2017 (34-31 at AT&T Stadium).
Garrett, 53, was head coach of the Cowboys for nine seasons and interim head coach for part of another season. He was 85-67 as head coach.
Garrett, whose contract would have expired on Jan. 14, was not expected to return after failing to reach the playoffs despite a 3-0 start and a 6-3 record through nine games.
“His tenure of leadership will be characterized by his ability to produce teams that always played with great effort, emotion and passion, and he represented our organization with great pride, loyalty and respect,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in the statement.
Multiple outlets previously reported that the Cowboys would prefer to let Garrett’s contract run out rather than fire the coach, who had been on the Dallas coaching staff since 2007 and spent seven years on their roster as a backup quarterback in the 1990s.
McCarthy interviewed with the Cowboys on Saturday and reportedly could consider former Bengals coach Marvin Lewis as defensive coordinator.
RAMS PART WAYS WITH DC PHILLIPS
The Los Angeles Rams announced Monday that they will not renew the contract of defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.
Phillips, 72, signed a three-year contract after the Rams hired head coach Sean McVay in January 2017.
A year after reaching the Super Bowl, Los Angeles went 9-7 and missed the playoffs this season. The Rams finished 13th in total defense (339.6 yards per game) and 17th in scoring defense (22.8 points per game).
“Coach Wade has been a veteran voice in heading our defense for the past three seasons,” McVay said in a statement. “His wealth of experience, sound advice, and helpful demeanor has been invaluable to our coaches and players, and also has set an example for me as a head coach and a leader of men.
“I thank Coach Phillips for his numerous contributions to the Los Angeles Rams and our community, and I wish he, his wife Laurie, and the rest of the Phillips family the best.” — Reuters
