Mike McCarthy is set to take up arguably the highest-profile coaching position in US sports, with multiple sources indicating he is the new head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

Fox Sports, ESPN and the Associated Press reported on Monday that McCarthy will replace Jason Garrett, who the Cowboys fired on Sunday. The Cowboys finished this season with an 8-8 record and missed the playoffs despite competing in the weak NFC East. Garrett won only two playoff games during his nine seasons in charge, a disappointment at a team Forbes values at $5bn, making the Cowboys the most valuable sports franchise in the world.

McCarthy’s success in the playoffs may have clinched him the job with the Cowboys. He made the playoffs in nine of his 13 seasons with the Green Bay Packers, and won the Super Bowl in February 2011. He did, however, benefit from having one of the best players in the game, Aaron Rodgers, as his quarterback. Some believe McCarthy should have had more success with Rodgers at his disposal, and he failed to lead Green Bay to the postseason in his final two years with the Packers. Supporters of McCarthy said he helped Rodgers become one of the greatest quarterbacks in history, and the Cowboys may see him as a mentor to their own franchise quarterback, Dak Prescott.

McCarthy has been out of a job since parting ways with the Packers midway through last season. He interviewed for the head coaching job at the New York Jets at the end of the last season, and turned down opportunities to talk to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Arizona Cardinals.