It is preposterous that there still isn’t a clear solution to the Mike McCarthy saga. While it was reported Friday that the Dallas Cowboys are working toward bringing McCarthy back, Jerry Jones better hope he and McCarthy reach an agreement soon because he is miles behind the interview process relative to other teams with head coach vacancies.

It is anyone’s guess whom Jones would hire if he and McCarthy go their separate ways. Specific ideas might push Cowboys fans to the brink of quitting on the team.

McCarthy, meanwhile, seemingly won’t have trouble finding a new job if it comes to that. The Bears already requested an interview and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler understands the Saints could join the sweepstakes by the all-important Jan. 14 deadline.

Regardless of how the saga ends, it is embarrassing that it’s dragged out this long. The offseason started five days ago. A decision should have been made no later than Tuesday. That it took until Friday for the two sides to open contract talks is embarrassing.

Troy Aikman has long advocated for McCarthy’s return. Ever familiar how Jones goes about his business, even Aikman has had trouble making heads or tails of this process.

“I think this week when Chicago reached out and requested the opportunity to interview Mike, and then that was denied, it would seem that he’ll be back,” Aikman told Sportsradio 96.7 FM/1310 The Ticket (KTCK-AM). “I can’t imagine him not being back, and then he missed out on an opportunity to interview for a job that he might have wanted, you know? I mean, it just doesn’t — none of this makes sense to me.”

Aikman is speaking for the entirety of Cowboys Nation.

The Cowboys had months – not days – to decide whether they want McCarthy back. And yet, it took almost a full week after the season ended for it to be reported that the two sides are open to moving forward together.

Most teams wouldn’t put their head coach through a lame-duck year. And most teams certainly wouldn’t drag out the process to this extent. The decision and new contract should have been announced in one fell swoop.

Ever desperate to be in the news, though, the evaluation process is being publicized one step at a time. It took Jones some 24 hours to deny the Bears’ request to interview McCarthy. They delayed that decision to allow for maximum media exposure.

The timing of Pelissero’s report was no coincidence, either. The Cowboys will now take some attention away from Notre Dame beating Penn State on Thursday, the Cotton Bowl between Texas and Ohio State on Friday night, and any of the six NFL playoff games this weekend that they are not a part of.

Now, contract negotiations can commence. McCarthy’s contract expires on Jan. 14, so you can all but guarantee that talks will string out beyond Super Wild Card Weekend.