After nearly 20 years, the Pittsburgh Steelers will no longer see Mike Tomlin on the sidelines calling the shots. His sudden departure following the latest playoff exit at the hands of the Texans forced the front office to act quickly, and the name they ultimately chose was Mike McCarthy.
McCarthy comes to Steel City after his most recent stint as head coach of the Cowboys—and that’s not all. He also knows what it takes to win a Super Bowl, having achieved the feat alongside Aaron Rodgers with the Packers a few years back. That championship experience may have played a key role in motivating Rooney II to bring him on board.
“We decided to bring Mike on because we believe that he’s the right coach for us at this point to help lead us to a championship,” the owner said via the Steelers’ official site.
McCarthy’s first mission
The Steelers have already given Rodgers an approximate timeline to make a decision about his future with the franchise. However, Rooney knows that his new head coach can help unlock the potential of the young talent in the quarterback room.
New Steelers HC Mike McCarthy
“…But maybe high on the list after that is someone who can develop a quarterback. And since sooner or later we’re going to be working with a young quarterback here, I think Mike’s ability to develop the next quarterback is something that certainly is important to us.“
see also
Steelers new HC Mike McCarthy could have plan B if Aaron Rodgers doesn’t return for 2026 NFL season
Building the ideal staff
While McCarthy’s arrival in Steel City has generated plenty of excitement, the reality is that the experienced coach needs to be supported in the best way possible to maximize the talent on his roster.
“He’s in the process right now of trying to hire a staff,” said Rooney. “It’s not an easy task, because some of the people he’d like to hire are under contract to other teams, and so we’ve got to get permission to talk to them. But just in general, the people he had targeted for key positions – offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, offensive line coach, and those kinds of things – we were very comfortable with the discussion around that.”
