Mike McCarthy is officially the Pittsburgh Steelers' next head coach. The Pittsburgh Steelers announced Saturday that the club has reached a verbal agreement with McCarthy to replace Mike Tomlin as head coach. The two sides agreed to a five-year contract. This marks a historic shift for the franchise - he would become the franchise's fourth head coach since 1969.
McCarthy grew up in the Pittsburgh area, so he's no stranger to the franchise's lore. The 62-year-old returns to coaching after sitting out the 2025 season, having previously spent time with both the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys. McCarthy has spent 18 seasons as a head coach in the NFL, 13 with the Green Bay Packers (2006-18) and five with the Dallas Cowboys (2020-24). McCarthy, who is a Pittsburgh native, has a 174-112-2 overall coaching record and led the Packers to a Super Bowl XLV championship.
McCarthy's hire represents a major departure from Pittsburgh's playbook. The move breaks dramatically with the team's history, since 1969, of hiring defensive coordinators with no prior head-coaching experience. McCarthy would be the first Steelers hire with previous NFL head coaching experience since Mike Nixon in 1965. The Steelers are banking on his championship pedigree and winning resume to help the team compete again after Mike Tomlin, who stepped down earlier this month after his 19th season ended with a seventh straight playoff loss.
The Steelers selected McCarthy after interviewing seven candidates virtually and three, including McCarthy, in person. While other coaching candidates like Philip Rivers are interviewing elsewhere, the Steelers felt confident enough in McCarthy to move quickly after Tomlin's unexpected announcement.