Weighing Pros and Cons of the Mike McCarthy Hire
p/c: Joe Nicholson
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coaching search reached its conclusion on Saturday, as the team hired Mike McCarthy, to be their just their fourth head coach in the Super Bowl Era.
Other candidates included a couple of names from the Los Angeles Rams - Defensive coordinator Chris Shula and passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase. San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak, as well as former Steelers linebackers coach and current Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
McCarthy, 62, has coached a total of 18 seasons; spending 13 with the Green Bay Packers and five with the Dallas Cowboys.
Steelers general manager Omar Khan knows McCarthy from when both were in the New Orleans Saints’ organization in 2000.
The hiring of McCarthy has certainly been met with mixed reviews. What are the pros and cons of the hire?
Pros: Perhaps McCarthy’s best attribute is his ability to develop quarterbacks; most notably Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. Some would even argue that Dak Prescott had his best seasons under McCarthy’s watch.
During his coaching career, McCarthy has captured eight division titles, which included four consecutive from 2011-2014.
Cons: Although McCarthy has had great offenses, for much of his career, they typically underperform in the biggest games. Mike Tomlin had no playoff wins since 2016. In the same span, McCarthy has just one win, so it’s not as if McCarthy’s recent playoff track record has been any better than Tomlin’s.
McCarthy has always benefited from having franchise caliber quarterbacks - something the Steelers likely won’t have in 2026. Perhaps that changes down the road.
On the surface, the McCarthy hiring seems underwhelming, because of him being a retread option that really makes it feel like Tomlin 2.0, especially with the lack of playoff success over the past decade.
The rest of McCarthy’s coaching staff will be an interesting development. If McCarthy is willing to hire younger and forward thinking coordinators and assistants, then it would provide a higher level of optimism heading into the 2026 season.