The Pittsburgh Steelers coaching search wrapped up over the weekend with the hiring of Mike McCarthy, a decision that raised some skepticism among analysts and questions from the fan base. On Sunday, team president Art Rooney spoke to reporters about the process.
For the organization, one of the biggest selling points on McCarthy seemed to be his track record compared to other coaching candidates they spoke with.
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“He is someone who has a longer track record than many of the other candidates, a winning track record. He’s been a winner everywhere he’s been. Probably just as important for our purposes, the quarterbacks that he’s worked with have all been very successful. So he has a proven track record of developing top flight quarterbacks. Those are the things that maybe stick out the most.”
Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II on head coach Mike McCarthy (via Steelers.com)
Based on Rooney’s comments, it certainly seems the priority in replacing Mike Tomlin was to maintain some form of on-field continuity. Hiring an inexperienced head coach might have meant taking a step back in the 2026 season, with the organization needing to retool the team and potentially not compete for a playoff spot next fall.
To that point, McCarthy ranks 15th in all-time coaching wins (174) and is just a few spots behind Tomlin (193). Similarly, Tomlin (.628) and McCarthy (.608) both boast a winning percentage of .600 or better, and they each have eight-plus playoff wins and a Super Bowl ring.
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One critical difference, of course, is that McCarthy often had elite quarterback play during his head-coaching tenure with the Green Bay Packers with Aaron Rodgers and the Dallas Cowboys with Dak Prescott. In the final Tomlin years, Pittsburgh was stuck in quarterback purgatory and still never had a losing season.
Speaking of Rodgers, there was immediate speculation that the hiring of McCarthy increased the likelihood of Rodgers returning as the Steelers starting quarterback in 2026. While Rooney acknowledged the team might be open to that, it didn’t play a role in the decision.
“We don’t know what Aaron’s plans are right now, and that did not weigh heavily in the decision. We’ll see where Aaron is, and we’ve left the door open, but obviously we all have to sit down and see if that makes sense. So that’ll happen sometime in the next month or so.”
Art Rooney III on if hiring Mike McCarthy means Aaron Rodgers may return to the Pittsburgh Steelers
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The skepticism surrounding the hire is not going away based on the Steelers’ justification for the move. Not only did the organization turn down an opportunity to retool the roster, but it also hired a head coach who is largely unproven when he does not have an MVP-caliber quarterback running his offense. It raises significant doubts regarding just how high Pittsburgh’s ceiling realistically is in 2026.
