Ex-NFL wideout Greg Jennings says Cowboys will win a Super Bowl under new coach Mike McCarthy

Former National Football League wideout Greg Jennings said the Dallas Cowboys’ hire of Mike McCarthy would produce Super Bowl results before this new partnership ends.

In an interview with CNBC, Jennings, who played for McCarthy while with the Green Bay Packers, said the team might not win the big contest next season, though the Cowboys have enough talent and now the proper coach to earn their first Super Bowl appearance since the 1995 season.

“This team isn’t far off,” Jennings said. “It’s not like he’s going into a situation where he’s going to have to rebuild. That’s not the case. You’re going into a situation where you have the personnel. Now that personnel might be constructed a little differently given that Dak Prescott is about to get a deal and you may not be able to retain every individual. However, you will still be a competitive team.”

The Cowboys hired McCarthy earlier this week after parting ways with former head coach Jason Garrett who coached the team for 10 seasons. McCarthy’s new deal is a five-year agreement, though financial terms have not been made available.

McCarthy, who became the ninth head coach in franchise history, has an overall coaching record of 125-77-2. Jennings, who played wide receiver for the Packers under McCarthy from 2006-12, helping the team win Super Bowl XLV, said the Cowboys’ receivers would love playing for his former coach as he is known for getting his top players involved.

“The one thing he will harp on is getting the ball to his playmakers,” Jennings said. “He believes the guys on the perimeter, and the running backs, those are his playmakers. He gets that. We can’t win without those guys.

“I love Mike,” Jennings added. “He’s a really good coach, knows how to relate to players, knows how to give them their freedom, but hold them accountable.”

Now 36, the two-time Pro Bowler who finished his NFL career with 571 receptions, 8,291 yards, and 64 touchdowns, is currently in the final stages of a partnership deal with Life Time Fitness, owned by private equity firms Leonard Green & Partners and TPG Capital.

The agreement will be a product-heavy deal, with Jennings showcasing various Life Time protein products on his social media accounts. Jennings declined to reveal specifics of the partnership but added: “It’s going to be a deal that both parties are excited about.”

Throughout his career in the NFL, which lasted 10 seasons with the Packers, Vikings, and Miami Dolphins, Jennings earned roughly $54 million, according to Spotrac.

When discussing his investment portfolio, which he said is established by wealth management firm JNBA Financial advisors in Minnesota, Jennings said there is always intriguing real estate deals that he’s interested in, but added that the sector can be “risky.”

Jennings, who labeled his portfolio as balanced, said: “It’s about having a feeling, trusting your gut and allowing your money to work for you.”

Once he departed from the NFL after the 2015 season, Jennings said there were no issues adjusting to life after football. He found ways to stay busy via completing the design of his family mansion, located in Edina, Minnesota. Jennings also added bodybuilding to his daily routine, and is an NFL television analyst for Fox Sports, a role he’s had since 2018.

“There hasn’t been a day that I’ve missed being out there on the football field or being in the locker room for that matter, which a lot of guys do,” Jennings said. “My locker room at home was a lot more exciting than the locker room that I was in. So, for me, I’ve enjoyed every element of being a dad, husband, brother, friend, just Greg.”

Asked to predict this weekend’s NFL Divisional Playoff games, Jennings said:

Seahawks-Packers: “I like the Packers simply because they’re more well rounded. They create more matchup problems defensively and offensively, and they can get after Russell Wilson.”

Vikings vs. 49ers: “If there were a dark horse I had to pick to win [Super Bowl LIV], it would be the Vikings just because they’re well coached, they’re excellent on offense, excellent on defense and they’re excellent on special teams. I like them going up against a 49ers team that hasn’t been in this position in quite some time, and a lot of these guys are new to this stage. But, having said that, I’m still picking the 49ers.”

Titans vs. Ravens: “I like the Ravens more so because they do something so unique with the quarterback as well as with their running backs that you don’t know who to account for. If you take away the running game, what are you taking away? Are you taking away Mark Ingram and the supporting cast of running backs, or are you taking away the quarterback? They have so many ways to beat you.”

Texans vs. Chiefs: “I like the Chiefs. I like the way they are playing defensively. Offensively, we know who they are. Defensively, they are improving, and that is scary when you think about how easy and quickly this team can put up points. If their defense is playing the way they were playing the last couple of weeks to end the regular season, and then they start getting the ball back to that offensive, creating more opportunities for them to score, that’s just problems for the Texans.”