The Pittsburgh Steelers are hiring Mike McCarthy as the team’s next head coach.
Multiple NFL insiders reported the news Saturday afternoon. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero was the first to post about it on X.
McCarthy grew up in Pittsburgh. Now, at age 62, the Super Bowl winner gets a chance to coach the team he grew up rooting for.
McCarthy interviewed for the job with the organization in person on Wednesday. Still, the Steelers hiring McCarthy came as a shock to some with young Los Angeles Rams assistants Chris Shula and Nate Scheelhaase still on the market.
Not sure what the rush was, given that there was no other team pursuing McCarthy. #Steelers
The Steelers virtually interviewed Shula and Scheelhaase during the second full week of January. The two Rams assistants were hot names linked to the Steelers by pundits and fans alike.
But days before being allowed to interview Shula and/or Scheelhaase in person, the Steelers went ahead and hired McCarthy.
A Greenville, PA native, McCarthy will arrive in Pittsburgh with 18 years of head coaching experience. At 62 years old, he is also the oldest head coach the Steelers have ever hired.
McCarthy posted a 125-77-2 record with the Green Bay Packers from 2006-18 and a 49-35 mark with the Dallas Cowboys from 2020-24.
Overall, he owns a 174-112-2 regular season record and 11-11 postseason mark.
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Steelers insiders pushed McCarthy as a “strong” candidate to be Pittsburgh’s next head coach. McCarthy has roots in Western Pennsylvania and previously worked with Steelers general manager Omar Khan and assistant general manager Andy Weidl.
Yet, there will be parts of Steelers Nation still surprised by the move. Again, the Steelers could have interviewed Shula and/or Scheelhaase after the NFC championship game.
Pittsburgh’s coaching candidates began to narrow in the days prior to the McCarthy announcement. Jesse Minter landed with the Baltimore Ravens, and Klay Kubiak elected to return to be the San Francisco 49ers.
With that in mind, if the Steelers didn’t see Shula and Scheelhaase as strong candidates, then McCarthy as the top choice makes sense. The other candidates the team interviewed in person this week were Brian Flores and Anthony Weaver.
But all indications in the media were Shula and Scheelhaase interviewed well.
McCarthy wasn’t in high demand on the coaching carousel. The only other team who reportedly interviewed him was the Tennessee Titans, who already hired Robert Saleh as head coach.
The Steelers hiring McCarthy before the opportunity for more interviews with Shula and Scheelhaase is a head-scratcher.
Will QB Aaron Rodgers Return for Steelers in 2026?
After the head coaching fallout, the next question with the Steelers is who will be the team’s quarterback next season.
That question is now even more interesting with McCarthy at the helm.
For his first 11 years as an NFL starter, Aaron Rodgers played in McCarthy’s system. During that stint, Rodgers won two MVP awards and a Super Bowl MVP.
Rodgers spent the 2025 season with the Steelers, which was expected to be his last year. When the offseason began, Steelers pundits argued Rodgers wouldn’t be back in Pittsburgh for 2026 because of Mike Tomlin’s departure.
“Aaron came here to play for Mike so I think it will most likely affect his decision,” Rooney told reporters on January 14.
That potentially changes, though, with the arrival of McCarthy.
Pelissero made clear the Steelers aren’t hiring McCarthy to retain Rodgers. However, the 42-year-old signal-caller could be Pittsburgh’s best option behind center again.
With McCarthy, it might be easier to convince him to play one more season.
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