No, the Cowboys’ head coach isn’t taking over as head coach for the 49ers

The Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers may have a historic NFL rivalry, but that doesn’t mean Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy will ditch Dallas for the West Coast, as a recent Facebook post claimed. 

“Mike McCarthy is reportedly leaving the Dallas Cowboys after a series of humiliating losses, to take over as Head Coach for the San Francisco 49ers,” the post said. 

The post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

McCarthy’s future with the Cowboys is in question after the team finished the season 7-10 and suffered big losses in recent weeks. ESPN reported Jan. 6 that the Chicago Bears, which recently fired their head coach Nov. 29, have requested permission to interview McCarthy for the position. 

But McCarthy remained the Cowboys head coach as of Jan. 7, and the team has not announced any changes to his position. 

The Facebook post linked in the comments section to a website titled “News Today” that contains other sensational and misleading stories about sports figures and celebrities. 

There are no credible news stories or announcements from either the Cowboys or 49ers that support the post’s claim. 

We rate the claim that McCarthy is leaving the Cowboys for the 49ers False. 

By

Caleb McCullough

Staff writer

January 7, 2025

Truth-o-meter Ruling

False

IF YOUR TIME IS SHORT

• There's no credible news or announcements supporting the claim.

Statement

Mike McCarthy “to take over as Head Coach for the San Francisco 49ers."

Context

a Facebook post

Speaker/Target

Speaker: Facebook posts

Statement Date

January 2, 2025