Cowboys owner and General Manager Jerry Jones says that he and former coach Mike McCarthy mutually agreed that the team needed a new coach in 2025, and McCarthy needed a new job in 2025.

Jones released a statement saying that he and McCarthy — whose contract was set to expire tomorrow — have been talking since the end of the season and ultimately agreed he wouldn’t be back.

“Throughout Mike McCarthy’s tenure here, including the last several weeks, I have been very complimentary of the job he has done,” Jones said. “That has applied to our record over that time period, our team unity and culture, Mike’s qualifications and track record of success, and on a personal level as a tremendous human being. I have great respect for Mike, and he has led the team through some very unique and challenging times during his tenure.

“Over the past week, Mike and I had the opportunity to conduct a joint review of all aspects of the past season, our players and staff, and also spent considerable time discussing the road forward for the team. These discussions were thorough and received an appropriate amount of time and depth to cover. Prior to reaching the point of contract negotiations, though, it became mutually clear that it would be better for each of us to head in a different direction. I thank Mike and wish him, his wife Jessica and their family the best. They have been a wonderful part of our community here. We will commence a search process immediately to hire the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.”

McCarthy will now become a free agent, and he’s expected to be a candidate for the head-coaching vacancies in Chicago and New Orleans, and perhaps elsewhere. And the Cowboys will now go looking for a coach who can be the first in 30 years to lead them to the Super Bowl.