The sands are slipping through the hourglass for head coach Mike McCarthy, as his contract with the Dallas Cowboys expires in a mere five days. Dallas, after a 7-10 stumble in 2024, are now locked in a tense standoff with their head coach and his future,

McCarthy’s five-year contract with the club ended in the wake of the team’s 23-19 loss to Washington to end the regular season. But the veteran coach’s contract contains an exclusive negotiating window with the Cowboys that doesn’t expire until Tuesday.

This is what Cowboys purgatory looks like. Mike McCarthy’s job with the team is very much undecided with his contract expiring in less than a week. But as ESPN reported Thursday, the “future” was on the table during a recent discussion between the Super Bowl-winning coach and team owner Jerry Jones.