ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys' season came to an end with a 23-19 loss to the Washington Commanders Sunday, and now comes the challenging part.

Does owner and general manager Jerry Jones retain Mike McCarthy, whose contract expires Wednesday, or does he begin a search for his ninth head coach since he purchased the team in 1989?

For more than 40 minutes, Jones spoke to the media outside the locker room, speaking glowingly about McCarthy but never fully committing to him for 2025 and beyond.

"I don't know that I am considering making a change is really what I'm trying to say," Jones said.

McCarthy has posted a 49-35 regular-season record with the Cowboys, but he is 1-3 in the playoffs, has not advanced past the divisional round and suffered two of the more painful home postseason defeats in franchise history.

The Cowboys' Super Bowl drought is now at 29 seasons.

"Mike's one of the best coaches that I think there is," Jones said. "He was made the coach here because I thought that, and he's done absolutely nothing to diminish my opinion of him as a coach."

McCarthy removed any doubt about his wishes. He wants to return to the Cowboys, despite a number of jobs that are currently open and others that could come open soon.

"Absolutely. I have a lot invested here. And the Cowboys have a lot invested in me," McCarthy said. "And then there's a personal side to all these decisions. They all point the right direction. I think anytime you invest your time, energy, your belief, the connection you have, the relationships that are in place here, the understanding of what the organization can do and is willing to do, those are all positive attributes that you take into account.

"But, you know, absolutely, I'm a builder. I believe in building programs. I believe in developing young players. So, at the end of day, it is about winning, and you have to have those components in place to get this thing where it needs to be. I think we have a very good foundation here."

McCarthy's 174 wins are 13th all time in NFL history.

"I don't like to talk about myself that way, but I'll just be clear: I'm a winner. I know how to win," he said. "I've won a championship. I won a championship in this building, and that's who I am. We'll see where it goes."

Jones offered no timeline for a decision, other than to say to follow the past when he has made coaching changes. McCarthy was picked as Jason Garrett's successor 10 days after the 2019 season ended.

The Cowboys hold exclusive negotiating rights to McCarthy through Jan. 14. However, Jones seemed to indicate he would grant permission for McCarthy to speak to other teams if requests are made.

McCarthy expects to meet with Jerry and Stephen Jones, the executive vice president, this week. Typically, he holds an exit meeting with all of the players, beginning on Monday.

To date, there have not been any discussions with McCarthy's agent, Don Yee, regarding an extension.

"It's a given that I've decided if we're sitting down talking about a deal," Jerry Jones said.

After directing the Cowboys to the playoffs from 2021 to 2023 with three straight 12-5 finishes, McCarthy and his entire coaching staff entered 2024 on the final years of their contracts. The Cowboys struggled offensively and defensively early in the season, then were hit by injuries that led to a five-game losing streak.

The Cowboys ended the season with players on injured reserve accounting for nearly $90 million in salary cap space, in quarterback Dak Prescott, guard Zack Martin, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, cornerback Trevon Diggs and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.

Jones said the coaching decision would not be based solely on the results of this season but a five-year view. And he took blame for the composition of the roster that fell short this season.

"That's very fair. I always provide the roster for the coaches. And so if you don't get there, then you've always got some second-guessing," Jones said. "We make a lot of decisions. Some of them don't work out as good as others."

Jones was impressed with how the Cowboys played after all of the injuries. They won four of five games to remain in playoff contention until Week 16. Key players like Prescott and Micah Parsons have backed McCarthy's return, which Jones said was important.

"We've got a lot of work to do," Jones said, "but certainly we're all looking for ways to get better."