Team president Art Rooney II and the Pittsburgh Steelers left a lot of their fans confused over the decision to hire Mike McCarthy as their next head coach. A lot of Steelers pundits heavily criticized the hire as well.
A day after the hire, Rooney explained the hire to Steelers.com’s Bob Labriola.
Rooney emphasized McCarthy’s winning record and work developing quarterbacks as his biggest draws.
“He is someone who has a longer track record than many of the other candidates, a winning track record,” said Rooney. “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.”
Art Rooney II Stresses Championship Chances with Mike McCarthy
Without a doubt, McCarthy has a strong resume of developing quarterbacks. He worked with all-time greats Joe Montana and Brett Favre as an offensive assistant. He also coached Rich Gannon at the end of his career and Alex Smith during his rookie season.
As Green Bay Packers head coach, McCarthy worked with Favre again. He also developed Aaron Rodgers for 13 years and then helped Dak Prescott reach new heights with the Dallas Cowboys.
But interestingly, Rooney didn’t want to say developing a quarterback is actually McCarthy’s top goal.
“I hesitate to say that’s No. 1. I think No. 1 is we want a coach who’s going to lead the team to win a championship,” said Rooney. “But maybe high on the list after that is someone who can develop a quarterback.
“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.”
Recent critics of the Steelers leadership would argue NFL teams have to develop a quarterback before winning a championship. But perhaps Rooney’s comment is a sign the Steelers could sign a quarterback again to try and win in 2026.
Rooney Addresses Will Howard Upside
Now that the Steelers have a head coach, the attention should switch back to quarterback.
But McCarthy may not have to search outside the organization to find its starter.
“He likes Will Howard, thinks Will has tremendous upside and is looking forward to working with him,” said Rooney. “Obviously feels like Mason can be a contributor. We’ll have to sit down and discuss where Aaron is, if he decides to come back, and whether that all makes sense.
“I think Mike was very comfortable with the quarterback room and the possibilities with the quarterback room.”
Just hours after the Steelers hired McCarthy on Saturday, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported the same — McCarthy sees potential in Will Howard.
The Steelers picked Howard at No. 185 overall in the sixth round last year. Howard posted 4,010 passing yards and 35 touchdowns in college during 2024. He also led Ohio State to a national championship.
Howard, though, only appeared in practice as a rookie. He missed the preseason because of injury and then didn’t get a snap during the regular season.
Before finding a solution at quarterback, though, McCarthy will complete filling out the Steelers coaching staff.
“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,” Rooney said. “But just in general, the people he had targeted for key positions – offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, offensive line coach, and those kinds of things.”
McCarthy, who is a Pittsburgh native, will arrive in his hometown with a 174-112-2 all-time record as an NFL head coach. If he wins 20 games with the Steelers, he will pass Chuck Noll and Mike Tomlin on the league’s all-time regular season wins list.
Art Rooney II Breaks Silence on Steelers Hiring Mike McCarthy