The Pittsburgh Steelers have, confoundingly, hired former Packers and Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy to replace Mike Tomlin.
At first glance, this does not make much sense. If the Steelers could not do better than a first-round exit with Tomlin, it’s hard to see McCarthy getting much further. Perhaps he can build up Pittsburgh’s weak offense to better complement their more talent defense. But the Steelers seem destined to remain in their unique purgatory: Tomlin kept the team good enough for consistent
winning seasons, but their quarterback issues catch up to them in the playoffs. That keeps Pittsburgh from getting a high enough draft pick to land a young franchise QB.
McCarthy is no doubt a successful coach. His last year in Dallas was a disaster, but he has a career winning percentage of .608 and led the Cowboys to three straight 12-5 seasons from 2021 to 2023. But those teams only won one playoff game.
That plays right into Pittsburgh’s purgatory. McCarthy could continue to lead them to winning seasons and playoff appearances, but it is hard to see Pittsburgh’s current roster making a serious Super Bowl run. Their first-round pick will continue to be in the late-teens/early-twenties, which would force them to trade up for a QB. That can be costly, sometimes prohibitively so, especially when competing with teams picking in the top-15. Trading up also would be out of character for Steelers general manager Omar Khan.
If anything, it seems more likely that Pittsburgh runs it back with Aaron Rodgers next season. Again, it is hard to imagine that working out better in 2026 than it did in 2025.
Overall, this move seems like a misstep from a franchise that has previously hired excellent young coaches. Tomlin, Bill Cowher, and Chuck Noll were all in their mid-thirties when they arrived in Pittsburgh. McCarthy is 62. He does not seem like a long-term proposition for a team that typically thinks in decades when it comes to their top leaders.
So, Flock Nation, what do you think? Did the Steelers make the right move by hiring McCarthy, or did this just ensure that the Ravens will continue to be the top dogs in the AFC North?
