Troy Aikman rips Cowboys apart after team split with Mike McCarthy: ‘It shows there’s no real plan’

On By Littum

Troy Aikman doesn’t understand why Mike McCarthy is no longer the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

The longtime Cowboys quarterback and Hall of Famer ripped the organization and owner Jerry Jones on ESPN Monday night ahead of the wild-card game between the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams. McCarthy and the Cowboys officially parted ways on Monday after negotiations between the two fell apart.

“I thought Mike McCarthy was going to be the head coach, so it’s a little bit of a surprise to me today that he’s not going to be. … It shows that there’s not a real plan,” Aikman said from State Farm Stadium in Arizona.

“I love the Dallas Cowboys. I played there for 12 years, I wish them the best of luck,” he added. “To say it’s a coveted job, I’m not sure I necessarily agree with that.”

McCarthy will not return to coach the Cowboys next season, owner Jerry Jones announced Monday. He had been negotiating with McCarthy over a new deal as his first five-year deal with the team ends on Tuesday, but the two sides were apparently unable to agree on the length of a new contract. The move came about a week after the Cowboys declined the Chicago Bears’ request to interview McCarthy for their head coaching position.

The Cowboys went just 7-10 this season and were one of the biggest disappointments in the entire league. They fell into several key losses, lost quarterback Dak Prescott to a season-ending injury and missed the playoffs. The Cowboys still haven’t been back to the NFC Championship since the 1995 campaign.

Aikman won three Super Bowls with the Cowboys, for whom he played from 1989-2000. He was then inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006. Two of the Super Bowls Aikman won were under head coach Jimmy Johnson. The third was under Barry Switzer in the 1995 season.

The Cowboys will now begin searching for McCarthy’s replacement, even if the search begins a week late. While there are plenty of qualified candidates out there who could step in, Aikman doesn’t think the quality of head coaching has been the real issue in Dallas in recent decades.

“I think Mike McCarthy is an outstanding football coach,” Aikman said. “He has proven that in this league … But you also have to strengthen that head coach. And I think that’s what’s been missing in Dallas since Jimmy Johnson walked out the door.”