Jerry Jones never truly entertained the idea of hiring Bill Belichick or Jim Harbaugh following the Cowboys' embarrassing playoff loss on Sunday ... so says former Dallas wideout Isaiah Stanback.
The ex-Cowboy -- who's become an NFL insider and analyst in retirement -- tells TMZ Sports ... according to his sources at The Star, Jones didn't explore moving on to a new coach before choosing to stick with Mike McCarthy on Wednesday.
"From the information I have inside the building," said Stanback, who played for Jones from 2007 to 2008, "there was never a search for an additional coach."
"I don't think it was ever an alternative to try to go and find somebody else," Stanback added.
Of course, plenty of Cowboys fans were certainly hoping Jones would've gone a different route ... after McCarthy bowed out of the playoffs over the weekend for the third straight year in disappointing fashion.
But, Stanback tells us he thinks the move is ultimately the right one ... explaining hiring the wrong choice right now could set the team back significantly further.
"In reality," Stanback said, "how many coaches in the NFL have a consecutive winning record of 12-5 to position you for a playoff run to go ultimately get the Lombardi Trophy?"
Nonetheless, Stanback knows the 2024 season is going to be a pressure-packed one for McCarthy ... and everyone else with a star on their helmet.
"It's even heightened," he said, "because of how you left this most recent season."