While it formally ended on Jan. 13, Mike Tomlin’s 19-year voyage as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach began to crumble six week earlier, when scores of Steelers followers chanted for his removing throughout a residence loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Those followers in the end bought what they wished when Tomlin voluntarily left his publish following Pittsburgh’s season-ending loss to the Houston Texans in the first spherical of the playoffs. After years of criticizing him, Tomlin’s detractors lastly bought what they wished.
That’s why it was ironic to see lots of those self same followers screaming to the heavens upon seeing the information that the Steelers plan to exchange Tomlin with Mike McCarthy. The fanbase, to a man, doesn’t like the rent; they wished the Steelers to rent a younger, up-and-coming coordinator like Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin have been manner again once they have been employed. That historical past compelled many — myself together with — to wrongfully assume that 39-year-old Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula ought to begin packing his luggage for Pittsburgh.
But as an alternative of hiring Shula (or a minimum of ready a few days till they may deliver him in for a go to), Steelers president Art Rooney II and basic supervisor Omar Khan determined to go along with McCarthy, who checks a lot of the packing containers for a Steelers franchise that has no curiosity in a prolonged rebuild.
“I’m not sure why you waste a year of your life not trying to contend,” Rooney stated previous to the beginning the teaching search. “Obviously, your roster is what it is every year. It changes every year, so you deal with what you have every year and try to put yourself in a position to compete every year. Sometimes you have the horses, sometimes you don’t. But I think you try every year.”
Bingo. At 62, McCarthy absolutely has no curiosity in a lengthy rebuild, both. That being stated, he in all probability isn’t hellbent on holding the Steelers’ non-losing streak intact, which over time turned simply as a lot a a part of Tomlin’s legacy as the rest. Many Steelers followers have stated that they’d be OK with a shedding season if it helped pace up the course of in phrases of being a true contender once more. McCarthy’s historical past would assist this logic.
McCarthy’s Packers missed the playoffs throughout his first yr in Green Bay. They have been in the NFC title recreation the following yr and could be Super Bowl champions three years after that. In Dallas, McCarthy went 6-10 throughout his first yr on the job whereas teaching a workforce that did not have Dak Prescott for most of the yr. With Prescott again in the fold a yr later, the Cowboys ripped off their first of three straight 12-win seasons. The Steelers have not gained that many video games in a season since 2020 and did so simply twice throughout Tomlin’s ultimate 15 years on the job. That run additionally included a playoff win, one thing that Steelers followers have not loved in fairly a while.
McCarthy is an offensive coach (examine), an completed quarterback developer (examine), and has a historical past of constructing spectacular teaching staffs (his workers in Dallas, for instance, included three future head coaches in Kellen Moore, Dan Quinn and Brian Schottenheimer). Checkmate.
The proverbial cherry on prime is that McCarthy is a confirmed winner who already has expertise in terms of teaching in cities with Texas-sized expectations. A Pittsburgh native, McCarthy clearly is aware of what he’s strolling into.
By the manner, Cowher likes the rent.
After a seventh straight playoff losses, Steelers followers wish to see their workforce take the subsequent step. With a projected 12 picks in this yr’s draft, that might actually occur this yr as the Steelers can be in place this offseason to handle most of their roster wants, beginning at receiver.
Quarterback is clearly the predominant space the Steelers want to handle. But the odds of the Steelers discovering their subsequent longterm quarterback this offseason are slim, given the place they presently are in the draft (with the twenty first general decide) and the lack of potential choices through commerce or free company. It is a barren yr, actually. That signifies that the Steelers are seemingly concentrating on 2027 as they yr that they hope to seek out their longterm resolution at quarterback, the place the draft class is significantly better and ups the potential of discovering a franchise QB in the teenagers or 20s.
What does that imply for 2026? It signifies that, as Rooney alluded to above, the Steelers will attempt to contend as they all the time do, but they seemingly will not have the horses to actually sniff a Super Bowl this yr. With that in thoughts, the Steelers’ ceiling will as soon as once more be a playoff win, one thing that turned the norm throughout Tomlin’s ultimate seasons. The ground, nevertheless, could possibly be a lot decrease than it has been in latest years.
The Steelers broke the Cowboys’ NFL report for consecutive non-losing seasons in 2025. The Steelers will not deliberately attempt to finish their report this yr, but McCarthy’s historical past means that Pittsburgh could also be in for a shedding season if they do not have a succesful quarterback in place. A shedding report would assist in phrases of getting a excessive draft decide, but, Rooney made clear, the Steelers will not purposely “waste” a season in order to raise their draft inventory.
This brings us to Aaron Rodgers and whether or not he would have an interest in a reunion along with his former Packers coach. While it is perhaps a stretch to say that this performed a vital position in McCarthy getting the job, it in all probability did not harm, both.
McCarthy and Rodgers gained a Super Bowl collectively in Green Bay (towards the Steelers).
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Anyone who watched Rodgers this previous yr is aware of that he nonetheless has his golden right arm. While his mobility is at a premium, Rodgers nonetheless has sufficient instruments in his toolbox to be a high quality beginning quarterback, even at 42.
Sure, he and the offense had some ugly outings, but it was onerous to determine how a lot of the blame ought to fall on Rodgers (outdoors of his eagerness to do away with the ball shortly, which is undoubtedly as a result of the indisputable fact that he’s 42), given the lack of weaponry he had at receiver and a few of the curious play-calling from Arthur Smith that always did not contain the utilization of a few of Pittsburgh’s finest talent gamers, corresponding to gone-missing tight finish Pat Freiermuth.
While the Steelers wish to contend yearly, they absolutely know that they will not really take the subsequent step till they discover a longterm beginning quarterback. If they are not going to seek out him this offseason in a unhealthy quarterback draft, it actually does not matter who the quarterback is that this season. And past what he does on the area, a Rodgers reunion would in all probability have extra advantages from an intangibles standpoint.
Steelers gamers weren’t shy throughout the season — and reportedly throughout exit interviews — how how a lot they loved taking part in with Rodgers and would welcome him again. If McCarthy can play a position in that occuring, it might actually assist win over a locker room that was fiercely loyal to Tomlin.
Leadership is considered one of the predominant traits Rooney stated that was is trying for Pittsburgh’s new coach. McCarthy’s program and tradition led to a championship in Green Bay and extra success with the Cowboys, and there isn’t any purpose to suppose that he will not do the identical factor in Pittsburgh. Rooney clearly feels that manner after making up his thoughts this weekend as an alternative of ready to have in-person interviews with Shula and/or Rams cross recreation coordinator Nate Scheelhaase.
Speaking of younger coaches, it would not be a shock if McCarthy’s teaching workers consists of his potential substitute. If he is ready to establish a doable coach-in-waiting, that may seemingly quell some the fanbase who do not like the indisputable fact that the Steelers employed an older coach.
McCarthy will not have a tenure in Pittsburgh that rivals his predecessors in phrases of size. He can nonetheless make a lasting mark on his hometown workforce, although, if he in a position to assist finish their drought of playoff wins, discover and develop their subsequent longterm quarterback and arrange his eventual successor up for much more success.
