Since the Pittsburgh Steelers announced they were hiring Mike McCarthy as their next head coach to replace Mike Tomlin, most of the reactions have leaned more toward chagrin than excitement.
The belief among many Steelers fans is that McCarthy could end up being another version of Tomlin — a coach who kept the team more mediocre than great over the last several years.
“4-13 incoming .. but hey, at least Mike Tomlin isn’t the coach of the Steelers anymore right?” disgruntled former Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell posted on social media.
In 19 seasons with the Steelers, Tomlin never posted a losing record, finishing with an overall record of 193-114-2. McCarthy, in 18 seasons as a head coach, went 174-112-2 between the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys. However, he has posted five losing seasons, including his final year in Dallas in 2024 when the Cowboys went 7-10.
Many Steelers fans were hoping Art Rooney II would take a similar approach to what the franchise did with its previous hires — turning to a defensive-minded, up-and-coming coach in his 30s.
One of those coaches was Bill Cowher, who took over in Pittsburgh in 1992 at the age of 35. Now a co-host on CBS’ NFL pregame show, Cowher made it clear he supports his former team’s latest hire.
Bill Cowher Endorses Steelers Hiring of Mike McCarthy
“I really like this hire for this reason,” Cowher said. “Number one, he’s an offensive-minded guy in Mike McCarthy. He grew up under Marty Schottenheimer, so he understands the value of running the football. He coached Joe Montana, he coached Brett Favre, he coached Aaron Rodgers, he coached Dak Prescott.
“Everywhere he’s been, he’s uplifted the offense. And if you look at the Pittsburgh Steelers right now, if there’s been inconsistencies in recent years, it’s been the instability of having a reliable offense.”
Cowher added that it didn’t hurt that McCarthy is from Pittsburgh and grew up a Steelers fan.
“He also walks into that room with credibility. … Oh yeah, he’s from Pittsburgh, too. That doesn’t make it bad. He knows the tradition. He knows what the expectation is. He knows what that fan base is all about. He’s a Yinzer. I think it’s a very good hire for the Pittsburgh Steelers.”
While Cowher’s points are fair, McCarthy is 62 years old and now coaching his third team — meaning he’ll have plenty to prove to a hungry and demanding fan base desperate for another championship.
Art Rooney II Explains Why Steelers Hired Mike McCarthy
The Steelers still had interviews lined up with other head coaching candidates before pulling the trigger on McCarthy. However, Rooney said the decision became clear after their in-person meetings.
“We wound up bringing in three guys for in-person interviews — Brian Flores, Mike McCarthy, and Anthony Weaver — and then we sat down and talked about whether we had our man, or if we wanted to bring in more people for in-person interviews,” Rooney said, via Steelers Depot. “We decided that Mike was the man for the job, and so we went ahead and offered him the job on Saturday.”
Rooney also acknowledged he knows some fans won’t be thrilled with the move at first, but he believes the franchise made the right call.
“We’re really not worried about winning the initial press conference,” Rooney said. “It’s about picking the coach we believe will help us win games, and social media really doesn’t enter into it. And none of that will matter once we’re starting to play games.
“The message for our fans is we’re very excited. We think we have a coach who is well-equipped to lead us into the next winning phase of Steelers football, and that’s what it’s all about. I think they’re going to love Coach Mike.”
Bill Cowher Sends Clear Message on Steelers Hiring Mike McCarthy