Former Cowboys & Packers Coach Mike McCarthy Reveals NFL Return Plans

In an interview with D Magazine, former Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy spoke about his time in Dallas, how he’s enjoying retirement, and what’s next for him in the coaching world.

“It’s very important to me that I leave [Dallas] the right way,” McCarthy said. “It was time for both of us [McCarthy and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones] to change and to go in different directions.”

McCarthy won a Super Bowl with QB Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay before joining the Cowboys in 2020. He had a lot of regular-season success, but couldn’t get over the hump in the playoffs. After an injury-riddled 2024 season in which Dallas missed the playoffs, McCarthy’s contract was not renewed. Jones ended up promoting Cowboys offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to the head coaching position, replacing McCarthy.

“To be totally matter of fact about it, I’m extremely thankful for the opportunity to be coach of the Cowboys,” McCarthy said. “I don’t think I have to say much more about it. I loved the challenges. The relationships. It was a phenomenal experience for my family. We all have great memories and all still have relationships today in Dallas. Heck, I’m still paying taxes in Plano. I have a lot of love for Dallas, its people, and fans.”

Former Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers HC Mike McCarthy on Fatherhood and Family Time

Sam Hodde/GettyARLINGTON, TEXAS – JANUARY 05: Head coach Mike McCarthy of the Dallas Cowboys throws a challenge flag against the Washington Commanders during the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium on January 05, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

McCarthy has five children, including two teenage daughters who still live at home with him and his wife. “This opportunity for me made sense, 100 percent,” McCarthy said about taking time off to spend with his family. “I’ve gotten to do things with my younger kids I never got to do with my other kids. I’ll tell you, this is very rewarding.”

“I’m competing for Father of the Year [and] I’m kicking ass,” McCarthy joked.

“We always state ‘family first,’ McCarthy said. “But the reality for all of us [in coaching] is at this point of life, it’s football and then family. It’s very rewarding to fulfill the family focus in this period of my life.”

“We couldn’t have had a better experience,” McCarthy said about his daughter’s national champion junior volleyball team in Dallas. “Her teammates, coaching, the families, the away games, the growth they all showed throughout the season. To be able to watch that and be there for her for all of that…”

Former Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers HC Mike McCarthy on His Potential Return to the NFL

“I’m preparing to coach again in 2026,” McCarthy said. This is his first season away from the NFL coaching life since 1993.

“I go to bed tired every night,’’ McCarthy said on his schedule away from coaching. “I try to keep a similar regimen to what I always lived as a coach, but the time sequences are now filled with family and friends.”

It’s a rewarding time for the Super Bowl-winning coach, taking some time away to spend with his family, especially his younger daughters, while he recuperates from a rough year in Dallas. If he wants to return to the coaching ranks in 2026, there will be opportunities available.

Ethan Woodie is an accomplished sports writer specializing in the NFL and college football for Heavy.com. He’s written for Heavy since 2025 and has years of experience writing for NFL Trade Rumors and Pro Football Focus (PFF). Woodie is an expert in draft scouting and his final 2025 Big Board was included in Arif Hasan’s media consensus board for Wide Left. More about Ethan Woodie