Steelers HC Mike McCarthy Has A Proven History Of Creating Head Coaches In The NFL

Newly hired Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy has a history of successful assistants throughout his time in the NFL. McCarthy spent 13 years at the helm in Green Bay, winning the Super Bowl in 2011 against the Steelers. After being fired in Week 13 of the 2018 season, McCarthy was hired in 2020 as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, where he had three straight 12-5 seasons. 

McCarthy started his pro football career as an assistant coach to the legendary Marty Schottenheimer (whose son is now the head coach for the Cowboys). This instilled the qualities in him that have translated to his success as a leader in the NFL. McCarthy is second in total wins for the Packers and third for the Cowboys. 

McCarthy's clear-cut head coach qualities have proven vital in developing many effective assistants on his roster. After being hired in Green Bay, McCarthy brought over a familiar face from San Francisco (where McCarthy served as offensive coordinator the season prior), Ben McAdoo, as a tight ends coach. While in Green Bay, McAdoo coached the likes of Jermichael Finley and Bubba Franks. From his time under McCarthy, McAdoo rose through the ranks and became quarterbacks coach, and then accepted the New York Giants' offensive coordinator position in 2014. 

McAdoo would then become head coach of the Giants in 2016. 

Steelers Head Coach Mike McCarthy's Former Assistants Are Current Head Coaches

McCarthy's former assistants in Dallas have become head coaches throughout the league. When hired by the Cowboys in 2020, McCarthy had a decision to make at the offensive coordinator spot. He decided to make the choice to retain Kellen Moore for the job. Moore was Dallas' coordinator from the 2019-2022 seasons, until Moore was hired at the same position for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2023. Moore took his talents to Philadelphia in 2024, where he helped Nick Sirianni and the Eagles win the Super Bowl. Moore was then hired as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints, where he went 6-11 in his first season. 

McCarthy is known as a quarterback developer, and Moore, a former NFL QB for the Cowboys, helped coach Dak Prescott into a Pro Bowl-caliber player in Dallas. Moore is now tasked with developing a young QB in New Orleans, Tyler Shough. McCarthy's mentoring is apparent in Moore, as he has helped make young QBs like Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts into the upper echelon at the position in the NFL. 

McCarthy's defensive coordinator in Dallas, Dan Quinn, is yet another example of McCarthy's influence extending to his assistants. Quinn was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2015 to 2020, where he led the Falcons to a Super Bowl appearance in 2016. Quinn was fired from the Falcons after Week 5 of the 2020 NFL season after an 0-5 start. He looked to have a resurgence in Dallas under McCarthy as his defensive play-caller. Quinn won the AP Assistant Coach of the Year Award under McCarthy's leadership and helped the Dallas defense rank 7th in scoring and lead the league in takeaways (34). 

Quinn was hired as the Washington Commanders' head coach ahead of the 2025 season and immediately found success mentoring rookie QB Jayden Daniels and led the Commanders to a 12-5 record. Quinn led his team to the NFC Championship game, where the Commanders lost to the Eagles 55-23. Quinn's young QB won the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Award and was named a Pro Bowler in his first season. A skill Quinn clearly learned from McCarthy, developing quarterbacks. 

McCarthy's assistants have a proven impact in the NFL. In both of McCarthy's stops as head coach, he has mentored young coaches into top-notch assistants who have gone on to be impactful head coaches. McCarthy's staff in Pittsburgh is still uncertain, but don't be surprised if one of his assistants becomes a head coach. 

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