After just over one-third in the NFL’s 2026 regular season, we’ve gotten a good look at the whopping 10 new head coaching hires across the league this year. And according to CBS Sports’ Garrett Podell, the Steelers’ hire of Mike McCarthy has been one of the best of the group.
In a Tuesday piece grading and ranking every first-year head coach this season, Podell placed McCarthy in fourth place with a B- grade.
“The Steelers are starting to find their groove under new head coach Mike McCarthy. Pittsburgh
is averaging the fifth-most points per game (28.5) since Week 3, a major improvement after averaging the second-fewest points per game (11.5) in the league through the first two weeks,” Podell wrote. “Pittsburgh also just completed its largest fourth-quarter comeback (13 points, 16-3) since the 2002 AFC Wild Card Round against the Cleveland Browns in its 26-19 overtime road win at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. McCarthy’s offense has added more life this season to the Steelers’ attack, and Pittsburgh is in a 4-2 bottleneck at the top of the AFC North as a result.”
With that aforementioned 4-2 record, McCarthy is currently in a three-way tie for the most wins among newly-hired head coaches, with the Bills’ Joe Brady (ranked second) leading the way at 5-1.
Interestingly, despite McCarthy ranking high on the list, he’s still last among the three new head coaching hires in the AFC North this year, with the Browns’ Todd Monken (4-2, ranked first) and the Ravens’ Jesse Minter (4-2 record, ranked third) coming in slightly higher, per Podell’s list.
Currently, the Steelers are ranked second in the division, but with three teams at 4-2 and the Bengals not far behind at 3-2, the AFC North is shaping up to be one of the NFL’s best and most competitive divisions this season.
Despite being a new face in the division, McCarthy is still by far the most experienced head coach in the AFC North, with 18 prior seasons in the role during his time with the Packers and Cowboys. Over that span, he won his division eight times, and has yet to finish in last place.
Now 62, it’s unclear how long McCarthy will coach the Steelers. During his time in Pittsburgh, he’ll be trying to make NFL history as the first head coach to win a Super Bowl with two separate teams.
