"Focused On Pittsburgh": Steelers Get Wind That Super Bowl Winner Wants The Head Coaching Job In The Steel City

The Pittsburgh Steelers are being very selective regarding their intense search for the franchise's next head coach. Mike Tomlin surprised a lot of sports fans when he made the decision to step down after a Wild Card Round loss to the Houston Texans. Art Rooney II is leading the way as the decision makers attempt to narrow their list down to just a number of potential candidates. Most are rising names that could be getting their first opportunities to lead a locker room. There have been a few veterans mixed in that could also have a chance to land the most stable job in the NFL.

The main outlier in the search has to be former Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Mike McCarthy. The Super Bowl champion took a year off in 2025, but has had some serious interest throughout this cycle. Despite this, he has not landed a job just yet. Now, he may be strictly holding out hope that the Steelers want to bring him in, as he is from the Steel City.

According to veteran NFL insider Tom Pelissero, not only did McCarthy not land the Tennessee Titans job, but he also denied other inquiries that came to him. He wants to be in Pittsburgh, and will have an interview on Wednesday.

McCarthy breaks the mold of what the Steelers typically look for. Defensive-minded head coaches that can be on the sideline for two decades are normally what the franchise is after. However, McCarthy has ties to Pittsburgh, and he may be a selling point in bringing back Aaron Rodgers for one more year, whether fans want that to be a reality or not.

There could be more to the story, too, however. McCarthy may not love any of the other openings on the market. Instead of getting back into being a head coach, he could have a desire to operate as the Steelers' offensive coordinator. If someone like Chris Shula is hired, a young defensive mind will need a veteran play-caller for the offense. The visit on Wednesday is labeled as an interview for the lead position, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it is the case.

Rodgers impressed the entire Steelers locker room in 2025, but that doesn't mean that decisions regarding the future of the organization should be made based on the potential of one more year with the future Hall of Famer. There could be more to this story, but it's evident that McCarthy wanted it to get out there that he is solely focused on the Steelers at this time. It would certainly break a trend for the franchise, and it likely wouldn't go over well with the black and gold faithful.

Steelers Would Likely Upset The Fan Base If McCarthy Is Hired As Head Coach

Rodgers is 42 years of age and McCarthy is 20 years older. If Pittsburgh is making a decision to bring in McCarthy and eventually hires him, only to get one more season out of Rodgers, that would be a mistake. If the veteran coach is the offensive coordinator, however, it may just be enough for the quarterback to return for 2026. A lot is possible right now, but it seems as if McCarthy is confident there is a role for him in the Steel City.

Do you think that the Steelers will bring in McCarthy? Let us know in the comments below!

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