Mike McCarthy does not want to fade into obscurity just yet. He has been hitting up the media and doing a lot of interviews lately to get his name back out there in a more positive light than just harassing high school sports officials. Yahoo Sports has aptly titled it the Mike McCarthy Redemption Tour.

While McCarthy did leave the Green Bay Packers mostly in shambles, it’s still important to acknowledge that he led the team for 13-years with a 61% win rate. He still has an impressive resume for a league that where head coaches have been dropping like flies lately. While he certainly was not working out in Green Bay anymore, he may still have what it takes to lead a team.
I was surprised he didn’t claim any of the vacancies during this past offseason, but it seems like there should be plenty for him to choose from next offseason.
According to ESPN, these are the openings that may be available for McCarthy:
Currently Vacant:
Carolina Panthers
Washington RedskinsLikely to Be Vacant Soon:
Atlanta Falcons
Cleveland Browns
Dallas Cowboys
Detroit Lions
Jacksonville Jaguars
New York Giants
Will anyone even want the guy, though? Remember that the Cleveland Browns did not even offer him an interview. That is like looking for an entry-level job and getting snubbed by McDonald’s. It also seems like McCarthy only wants a head coach position and, at this point, is not willing to settle for less.
I think his lack of success snatching up a position last season was mostly due to all the coverage of his Green Bay ousting. Hiring him would have been too much of a distraction. Of course, that was before his replacement, Matt LaFleur, ended up going 10-3 and putting his name in the Packers’ history books his first season. However, one thing working to his advantage on that is that the Packers’ wins this season have not been the prettiest — to say the least.

"I'm not trying to just go win one, I'm trying to win them all."
If you have any question about what returning to an NFL sideline in 2020 means to former #Packers coach Mike McCarthy or the work he's put in to be ready, check out this glimpse at my @nflnetwork feature. pic.twitter.com/sbaoAElIEE
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 9, 2019
The McCarthy Project
When I first saw “The McCarthy Project”, I thought it might be some great new fast food hack from our boy Mike. Instead, he has assembled a team of coaches(Jim Haslett, Frank Cignetti Jr. and Scott McCurley) to analyze film and keep his coaching instincts sharp and current.
Mike recently spoke with Tom Pelissero of NFL.com about this and his eyeing to return to the NFL:
If you truly want to learn about yourself, you probably need to look at your last opportunity and keep an eye on it, because you have to be transparent. You have to be honest about, how can you do things better? And it’s all part of this process. Once you get past the emotion — the negative emotion of it all — it’s a great opportunity to shine a bright light on it and grow.
[…]
To do it right and to be in position to win it every year, that’s what I’m looking for. So that’s the opportunity, that’s who I want to be paired with. And I’m not trying to just go win one, I’m trying to win them all. And I’ve always taken that approach. That’s always been my outlook. And every decision that’s ever been made towards the football team, it was A, number one, what’s best for the locker room? And it’s about moving that locker room forward, ’cause nothing ever stays the same. You’re either getting better or you’re going the other way. And that’s in life and in football.
[…]
I thought [being head coach at Green Bay] was clearly the best coaching job that I was part of, in maybe my whole career. The players were tremendous. We just couldn’t stay healthy. That first half of the season was one of the worst stretches that we had, and the team just gutted it out. We got to the NFC Championship Game (a 44-21 loss at Atlanta). That was a very difficult year. And then ’17, we were getting hurt up there in Minnesota, and so it kind of spilled into that year.
My focus was always to be better, not bitter. And obviously, there was bitter moments, frankly, early in that transition. I think that’s natural. And I think anybody goes through it, that those are natural feelings. At the end of the day, I’m thinking more about beginnings. And I’ve had time to think about the whole 13 years and there’s been a tremendous amount of positive reflection with that. This has been an extremely healthy time for me, personally.
I know there are a lot of negative emotions among Packer fans towards McCarthy that still linger and will continue to do so well into the future. However, the guy does still have enough credibility to land another coaching job in the league — especially with the story of the Mike McCarthy vs Aaron Rodgers drama continuing to fade from memory.
Yahoo Sports made a great point in their coverage that, if McCarthy was confident he had the ability to grab a head coaching position for 2020, he probably would not be making all this noise and drawing attention to himself.
61% win rate, nine playoff appearances including eight in a row in thirteen seasons, and one SB ring.
Who’d want a coach with that resume?
I know, “Yah but, Aaron Rodgers.” If that flies for McCarthy, then it has to fly for Holmgen and Favre, Vermiel and Warner, Payton and Brees, Dungy and Manning. Those coaches are held in pretty high esteem, and 3/4 of them got fired, too.
But kudos for the objectivity.
What to do when no one in the media is bringing up your name for coaching jobs….
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Welcome to the McCarthy “I’M AVAILABLE” media comeback tour.
“I’ve been working….really” – McNuggets
I’ll only believe Big Mike is making a serious commitment to renewing his career if he re-appears 40 to 60 pounds slimmer. The intensity of pro football coaching, the hours demanded, and the personal criticisms that must be endured require a fit body and mind. As shown by the Class of 2019, pro football coaching is becoming a young man’s vocation. Of those eight new NFL head coaches, four were 40 or younger – McCarthy is 56. If you were a team owner, would you be more impressed by the young whiz kids – Sean Payton, Kyle Shanahan, Matt Nagy, Sean McDermott, LaFleur, or by McCarthy, who epitomizes a dying breed?
Hiring McCarthy is exactly the type of bullheaded thing Jerry Jones would do
First, i’m not a McCarthy fan in any way, but i will give credit to what he’s earned as head coach, as i do with Ted back when he was on. But this isn’t about football
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McCarthy obviously skirted the Rodgers relationship question, which i don’t really care about, that bridge was crossed. It was what it was. If it’s between them, then that’s the way it should be.
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The humanitarian side of me wonders about something else. You have to wonder why he gets so emotional about his family. I would think if they adjusted well, and the family dynamic was healthy, this wouldn’t be an issue. So….i can’t help wonder, if him losing his job in Green Bay had negative effects on his family, it just seems obvious, but i’ve been wrong before, just like that one time back in 2015. .
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So it could be a number of things, maybe even outside influences…such as, the kids friends, classmates, people who see them around town, going out to eat, shopping, etc. Negative experiences in those regards could put serious stress on the family. I’m sure the basketball game outburst didn’t help anything, but that’s minor in it’s scope. Maybe it’s internal problems with his personality and how it’s affecting his family, idk.
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His wife is from Green Bay, so i’m just wondering if McCarthy getting a job, justifies a move out of Green Bay for him. It just seems to me that he wants to get out for the sake of his family. Maybe i’m reading too much into this, but somethings going on there. No matter how i felt about McCarthy or anyone, if i saw them around my community i wouldn’t show them disrespect.
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When you see him showing pain regarding his family you hope that they can find peace. It’s not about football.
Well said
T Y Sir
IDK, maybe an OC job could be less stressful at this point in his life. If his duties let him focus solely on the offense, and is able to monitor new tendencies and incorporate them to his system, I bet he can find some success.
As a HC he was too involved with the offense, neglecting more globa aspects. He said he wasn’t aware Matthews was taking a break on the sidelines on THAT NFCCG.
He won a Superbowl, had a nice winning record. Does not have anything to prove. HC responsibilities mean more headaches and less time with his family. Money should not be an issue here, I am sure he can live comfortably until the end of his days.
On the personal side, he was reluctant to innovate even when the league had already figured him out. He was stubborn, and unable to take any criticism, which admittedly is not easy to do… at least in the heat of the moment. But when your head cools down, you can then learn from it. That did not help at all with the stagnant situation leading to his departure.
He seemed to be a loyal guy, sometimes to a fault, giving too much confidence and opportunities to Capers and Slocum. Great to have in a friend, but does not translate well to a business relation.
He very rarely called his players out in public, an exception being Eddie Lacy… but I’m willing to bet he tried every other approach before that.
To conclude, no hard feelings towards him. It was simply the end of his cycle in GB, as new and fresh ideas were needed to reinvent this team.
Damn MJ…never fail to impress. I agree, and it’s a great point that you brought up about Lacy and how McCarthy probably exhausted every other avenue to get Lacy to take his conditioning seriously. A lot of team mates, and former Packer players all tried to help him from what i understand. I don’t know if he ever would have been great, but i think he would have been pretty damn good.
Should have been removed after the Seattle meltdown. This guy choked with Home Field advantage three times. The most egregious after a 15-1 season. Too close for comfort with he and Ted eating up Rodgers chances down the stretch. The game passed this dude by in 2010.
Always a soft approach with the circus offense and soft D. Eric Walden saved the game at Lambeau vs the Bears to get them in the big dance. Dom saved the rest of the playoffs with his defense making the key plays, especially Tramon. It seems like a cheap marketing ploy by a recent graduate to secure an interview. Move on from this show.