The Pittsburgh Steelers are famous for many things, but frequent head-coaching changes are not one of them. Since Richard Nixon occupied the White House, the franchise has made remarkably few coaching hires — and more often than not, they’ve been ahead of the curve, identifying future Hall of Famers before they became household names.
That’s what most fans expected again.
Instead of an unproven rising star blessed by the Rooney family’s instincts, Steeler Nation got something very different: Mike McCarthy — a Pittsburgh native with 18 years of NFL head-coaching experience, multiple firings on his résumé, and fewer Super Bowl appearances than critics would like.
McCarthy’s track record suggests he could finally deliver the Steelers their first playoff win since 2016. But in Pittsburgh, the bar is higher. The real drought fans care about dates back to 2008 — the franchise’s last Super Bowl title.
Much of the frustration stems from timing and perception. The Steelers moved quickly to hire McCarthy before conducting in-person interviews with Rams pass-game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase or defensive coordinator Chris Shula. For a franchise known for patience and process, the haste felt uncharacteristic.
Then there’s the matter of demand — or lack thereof.
McCarthy wasn’t exactly the hottest name in the latest coaching carousel. He interviewed with only two teams, the Titans and the Giants, before landing the Steelers job. Several other franchises searching for head coaches — including the Ravens, Browns, Cardinals, Raiders, Bills, Falcons, and Dolphins — were never publicly linked to him.
If any of those teams quietly pursued McCarthy and he declined while waiting for Pittsburgh, no reports suggested as much.
Looking back further raises more eyebrows. When McCarthy parted ways with the Cowboys in January 2025, teams like the Jets, Patriots, Jaguars, Raiders, Bears, and Saints were conducting searches. Only one of them — the Bears — interviewed him.
The NFL may have 32 teams, but it’s a tight-knit league. Coaches’ reputations travel fast. And the league-wide buzz around McCarthy has never quite matched his résumé. For many Steelers fans, that disconnect is a warning sign.
Comparisons to John Harbaugh have only added fuel to the debate. On paper, the two coaches look remarkably similar. Each has coached more than 300 games. Each has won a Super Bowl. McCarthy owns an 11-11 postseason record and a career winning percentage of 60 percent. Harbaugh sits just above that at 60.9 percent.
But when Harbaugh became available, the reaction was immediate and overwhelming. His agent reportedly heard from more teams than there were vacancies. The Giants ultimately landed him, and Harbaugh used rare leverage to reshape their entire football operation.
McCarthy’s experience has been far quieter.
After being fired midseason by Green Bay in 2018, there was no rush to hire him in 2019. In both the 2025 and 2026 coaching cycles, only one team made him an offer — the Steelers.
That reality clashes with how Steelers fans view their franchise. In Pittsburgh, the belief is that elite candidates should be lining up to wear black and gold. And if the organization was going to break from its 57-year tradition of hiring an unknown future star, fans expected a hire that came with league-wide buzz.
Which leads to the lingering question: if the Steelers were going to hire a former head coach, why not make a run at Harbaugh?
When Mike Tomlin resigned, Harbaugh had not yet finalized his deal with the Giants. Given the choice between Harbaugh and McCarthy, most fans in the 412 area code would’ve seen it as an 80–20 decision.
Of course, winning cures everything. A strong January run would quickly soften opinions. But early struggles could ignite a firestorm. Steelers fans still remember the vitriol following the embarrassing home loss to the Bills on November 30.
McCarthy’s own history offers a cautionary tale. In his first season with Dallas, a Week 9 loss to Pittsburgh dropped the Cowboys to 2-7. If the Steelers stumble out of the gate in 2026, chants of “Fire McCarthy” might echo not just at Acrisure Stadium — but at Penguins games, too.
There is, however, a silver lining. McCarthy led the Cowboys to three straight 12-5 seasons. The Steelers have managed only two seasons with 12 or more wins since 2011 — and none since 2020.
If McCarthy can replicate that level of consistency quickly, much of the skepticism will fade. Until then, many fans will wonder whether the Steelers truly made a bold choice — or simply settled for a coach who, despite his résumé, had nowhere else to go.
