1:00 PM PT -- Jerry Jones just confirmed he and Mike McCarthy are going their separate ways ... revealing in a statement Monday afternoon the two sides never even got to the contract negotiation phase in their postseason talks.

"It became mutually clear that it would be better for each of us to head in a different direction," Jones said. "I thank Mike and wish him, his wife Jessica and their family the best."

Jones added a search for the Cowboys' next head coach will begin "immediately."

The Dallas Cowboys will reportedly have a new head coach in 2025 ... Mike McCarthy's apparently done in Big D.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero said Monday that contract negotiations between the sideline manager and Jerry Jones have stalled ... and McCarthy will now seek a job elsewhere next season.

McCarthy's deal with Dallas -- which was signed in 2020 -- is set to expire on Tuesday ... but the two sides had been in talks following the team's disappointing 2024 season about an extension.

McCarthy will now leave the Cowboys with a 49-35 record ... although his playoff win-loss ledger was a far less impressive 1-3.

Unclear where Dallas will turn to next ... although a name most fans will be intrigued by will certainly be Deion Sanders  -- a former Cowboys star who's the current coach of the Colorado Buffaloes.

Other candidates could include Lions assistant Ben Johnson ... and perhaps even former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.