Mike McCarthy didn’t get to go out on his terms with the Green Bay Packers, and that’s a shame given all he did for the franchise.
He was their longest-tenured coach of the Super Bowl era. He won a Super Bowl for them and ushered in a run of success that included eight playoff appearances and four trips to the NFC championship game. In the end, back-to-back seasons without the playoffs despite having Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback led to the organization deciding it was time for a change. It doesn’t mean McCarthy is a bad head coach. Merely that both sides needed new scenery.
Rest assured, there’s every reason to believe that McCarthy can get off on the right foot wherever he lands next. Smart money says he’ll end up the head coach of another team, having already set up interviews with Cleveland and the Jets. His track record of winning along with his ability to develop quarterbacks are two huge selling points. Similar to a certain other head coach who went through the same thing he did six years ago.
Andy Reid can relate to exactly what McCarthy is going through
Nobody understands McCarthy better than Andy Reid. He established a period of success in Philadelphia for the Eagles that no previous head coach had ever done. They were in the playoffs almost every year from 2000 to 2010, went to an unprecedented five NFC championship games and reached the Super Bowl in 2004. Unfortunately, a downturn in 2012 that saw them go 4-12, his first losing season in seven years. That was enough to get him fired.
He wasn’t unemployed for long though. The Kansas City Chiefs quickly scooped him up and he turned the organization around overnight. They went to the playoffs his first year and have gone five of the past six years with his team holding the #1 seed going into this postseason. McCarthy is every bit as proven and capable as Reid was. He’s only 55-years old and now has a chip on his shoulder after his unceremonious exit from Green Bay.
Don’t be surprised if he has instant success wherever he lands, particularly if it’s in Cleveland or New York where they have the young quarterbacks in place to do some damage.