McCarthy’s five-year contract with the club ended in the wake of the team’s 23-19 loss to Washington to end the regular season. But the veteran coach’s contract contains an exclusive negotiating window with the Cowboys that doesn’t expire until Tuesday.

This is what Cowboys purgatory looks like. Mike McCarthy’s job with the team is very much undecided with his contract expiring in less than a week. But as ESPN reported Thursday, the “future” was on the table during a recent discussion between the Super Bowl-winning coach and team owner Jerry Jones.

On Tuesday, the Cowboys denied a request from the Chicago Bears to interview McCarthy for their head coaching vacancy. Now one day later, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that talks between McCarthy and the Cowboys are ongoing, a sign they want to continue to work together.