The Dallas Cowboys blocked the Chicago Bears from interviewing Mike McCarthy, which has fans losing their minds with the assumption he's staying in Big D.

Dallas fell far short of expectations this year as losses and injuries piled up, with rumors swirling about McCarthy’s future with the franchise on a near-weekly basis. With the book now closed on a challenging 2024 season, McCarthy is focused on what’s ahead and what he hopes is a return to Dallas.

On Monday, the Bears did log that interview request, and it’s typical that a team will reply quickly. Because McCarthy’s contract is not up quite year, he is not free to chat with the Chicagoans at his leisure–he needs the team’s permission.