McCarthy is still under contract with the Cowboys until January 8th but they retain exclusive negotiating rights up until January 14th. Dallas has yet to respond to the Bears' request.
"I don't know that I am considering making a change is really what I'm trying to say," said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on Sunday. "Mike's one of the best coaches that I think there is. 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."
Chicago fired former head coach Matt Eberflus the day after Thanksgiving following a controversial loss to the Detroit Lions in which Eberflus never called a timeout that could've possibly set up a game-winning drive. The Bears fell to 4-8 after the game before finishing the season 5-12.
The Cowboys finished the 7-10 under McCarthy. He previously led them to three straight 12-5 seasons after his first year in 2020 when the team went 6-10. Dallas also has two NFC East titles (2021, 2023) with McCarthy as head coach, but no Super Bowl appearances.
"There's a personal side to all these decisions," said McCarthy on Sunday. "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," said McCarthy. "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 previously spent 13 years with the Green Bay Packers and won Super Bowl XLV against the Pittsburgh Steelers.