Ben Roethlisberger said on his Footbahlin podcast that the Pittsburgh Steelers made the right decision by hiring Mike McCarthy as their new head coach for the 2026 season. Despite the fact that many fans have criticized the move, Big Ben is absolutely on board.
“I said last week that I would like the McCarthy hire. I think you bring a new voice into the locker room because sometimes the message can get repetitive. McCarthy is a Pittsburgh guy, who obviously, I know he’s coached in a lot of places, but you’re telling me that he doesn’t have black and gold in there. He’s going to understand the Steeler Way.”
The Steelers have gone 17 years without winning a Super Bowl and have not recorded a playoff victory in nine seasons. Mike Tomlin decided to part ways with the team, and McCarthy was chosen as the ideal replacement according to the Rooney family and general manager Omar Khan.
Aaron Rodgers might come back to play for Mike McCarthy and Steelers in 2026
Mike McCarthy publicly admitted that he has already spoken with Aaron Rodgers and that he would like the veteran to be his quarterback in 2026. However, the head coach also said that, given Aaron’s age, the star deserves time to think about his decision to return or retire.
Fans don’t believe in Mike McCarthy and Steelers
After the announcement of Mike McCarthy as the new head coach of the Steelers, many fans could not believe the decision and felt it was more of the same, with a résumé very similar to that of Mike Tomlin. However, Ben Roethlisberger cannot understand those opinions.
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“I’ve been really amazed at kind of the outpouring of disbelief of like: ‘Why are we doing this? What an awful hire.’ And I’m sitting there like scratching my head at some of the people that are saying this because I believe it’s a great hire. We finally have an offensive minded coach in here. I’m so excited for an offensive minded coach because I think we have to score more than six points in a playoff game. Mike McCarthy has a great track record. Are we sure that we want a young guy that’s unproven?”
