Signs seemed to point toward the Dallas Cowboys retaining Mike McCarthy as their head coach for 2025 after owner and general manager Jerry Jones profusely praised him after their Week 18 finale against the Washington Commanders.

Will they or won’t they? The Cowboys’ front office and Mike McCarthy are still determining who will be the head coach on the sidelines in 2025, as the rest of the league moves forward with other coaching searches across the NFL.

“Monday Night Football” commentator and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman had some harsh opinions about the now-vacant Cowboys head-coaching position before Monday night’s wild-card game between the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams.

As panel host Scott Van Pelt pointed out, there was much speculation to go around the sketchy future between the Cowboys and McCarthy as his contract was set to expire at the end of this season.

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

These days, no news is good news for the Dallas Cowboys. A season that began with Super Bowl hype has ended in disappointment, as the Cowboys failed to reach the NFL playoffs, and

Cowboys legend Troy Aikman joined the Musers on Sportsradio 96.7 FM/1310 The Ticket (KTCK-AM) Thursday for his regular weekly appearance to talk the coaching search in Dallas and more. Here are some highlights, edited for clarity:

Aikman admitted that he believed McCarthy would be back, and he indicated that the decision to let McCarthy go exposes issues in the organization. The ESPN analyst particularly criticized the Cowboys for letting a week pass before starting their head coach search, as other teams with openings are already well into their searches.

The Cowboys announced they were parting ways with Mike McCarthy on Monday. Troy Aikman criticized Dallas' approach to its coaching change.

These days, most people know Troy Aikman as ESPN’s lead NFL color commentator, one half of a stellar duo with play-by-play person Joe Buck. But once upon a time, Aikman was a Dallas Cowboys legend, winning three Super Bowls with the franchise in the 1990s as their starting quarterback.

The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback says that football people don't get to run the team the way they want in Dallas.