McCarthy returns to the city he calls home after a meandering NFL journey that included head coaching stints in Green Bay (where he won Super Bowl XLV) and Dallas, and appeared to be nearing a possible end following his departure from the Cowboys after the 2024 season. Things changed, however, when Mike Tomlin shocked the NFL world by retiring from Pittsburgh after 19 seasons at the helm of the Steelers.
For the first time since 2007, Pittsburgh found itself in the market for a new coach. This time, the Steelers bucked the conference, avoiding its tradition of selecting rising young supervisors and instead tapping veteran coaches to fill the leadership void.
“You know we came into this wanting to hire the best coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. We didn’t say we were trying to hire a young defensive coordinator or offensive lineman,” Steelers president Art Rooney II said. “We were open-minded about it, I think, and really, like I said, wanted to make sure we found the best coach and we were able to interview some great coaches. I’m not going to say it was an easy decision, but I would say at the end of the day, it was an obvious decision for us that Mike was the man for the job.”
The logic behind the change in process was evident in Tuesday’s media briefing. The Steelers believe they have built a program capable of immediate success under the right coach. That’s part of why McCarthy was so eager to return to her roots by accepting the job.
“Mike Tomlin and (executive director) Omar (Khan), they’ve left me a lot to work with,” McCarthy said, with Khan seated to his left. “I feel good about the strategy, I’m really excited about the defense. It’s great to see Alex (Highsmith) here because the defense wins championships. You know the history of the Steelers defense and having a 3-4 is important, you know, in terms of where it comes from. It’s something we can build on.
“I’ve been a head coach for 18 years. I’ve had one top-five defense and we won the Super Bowl that year. So the importance of defense is important.”
The biggest question remaining for the Steelers revolves around the most important position in the sport: quarterback. Pittsburgh has tried to stay competitive by relying on offseason calls in recent years and was fortunate to reach the postseason in 2025 thanks in part to the performance of 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers, McCarthy’s former quarterback in Green Bay.
Some saw McCarthy’s hiring as a desperate attempt to convince Rodgers, who played for him with the Packers, to return for one more season, an idea Rooney rejected before Tuesday’s news conference. Still, McCarthy unsurprisingly raised questions about Rodgers.
“Absolutely. I don’t see why you wouldn’t,” McCarthy said when asked if he wanted Rodgers in Pittsburgh. “I just think like anything, knowing Aaron long enough, going through seasons … I think when players … when guys are at that stage of their career, they need to step away and pull together. I think that’s really important. The game is so emotional. What these guys commit to, what they put into it. I think that time away is important.
“I’ve talked to Aaron, so that’s really where we’re at right there. But I was able to sit back and watch the games and watch most of the Pittsburgh games on TV and I thought he was a great asset to the team.”
Rodgers enjoyed a largely successful season that ended just after the postseason, running into a suffocating Texans defense that the Steelers offense was no match for.
A one-year suspension has put the Steelers in this position — where they hope the 42-year-old wants to play one more season. That’s never good for the long term. Pittsburgh’s new-look leadership team acknowledged the club remains committed to finding and acquiring a quarterback of the future in 2026 and believes McCarthy is the perfect coach to give them the best chance to build a strong front office that extends beyond the starting lineup.
“Well, I think you’re always developing the quarterback,” McCarthy said. “I’ve been fortunate to have great starters, especially the last one in Dak Prescott. Aaron in Green Bay. Brett (Favre). But we’ve always approached it as a quarterback because that second quarterback, that third quarterback, they have to mimic the starter. That starter dictates the tempo and the timing and the accuracy of the Ohio forward. I’m looking forward to working with him. It would be great to have Aaron back but Will and Mason (Rudolph), I’m really excited to start with them.
The Steelers still have questions to answer in the offseason, but have addressed one of the two most important. It will be up to McCarthy and Khan to ensure they don’t take a step back in the first year of the club’s new era.