Former Steelers Players Absolutely Go Off On Art Rooney II For "Status Quo" Hiring Of Mike McCarthy

Fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers have been absolutely irate in recent days, since it was announced that Mike McCarthy will become the next head coach for the team. It will take a lot of winning -- especially in the postseason -- to get everyone on board with the hiring. Outside of a few people here and there, this decision has almost exclusively resulted in negative feelings about the organization from fans, the media, and even some former players. If this move does not work, ownership will never hear the end of it.

In the latest episode of Deebo & Joe, former Steelers cornerback Joe Haden was not too harsh about the move, but he did have some serious questions about what ownership is doing.

"[Art II] Rooney, if he made this pick [to hire McCarthy], it just looks like status quo," Haden said. "He just seems like he doesn’t want to shake the boat too much. I think right now is time. It was time to shake the boat and go get you a young head coach."

That's been the biggest gripe that many fans have had as well. There is a belief from outside the organization that the Steelers need to move forward and get a younger coach with lots of upside, as Art Rooney II instead went for the candidate that was most similar to Mike Tomlin in terms of past success and experience, even though McCarthy has not done well in recent years when it has mattered the most. 

While Haden was nicer about the situation, James Harrison followed up his comments by directly going after Rooney II.

"Since our last 2 hirings that we had [Tomlin and Bill Cowher], Mr. [Dan] Rooney was around, heavily involved, and I believe he had a greater understanding of what was needed," Harrison said.

Harrison has a belief that Rooney II is not actually in touch with the team and what is needed to truly thrive while his father, the late great Dan Rooney, understood what was happening with his Steelers when he was alive and had control of the franchise. Once again, he and Haden seem to share the exact same beliefs as the disgruntled fan base that is desperate for something other than a first-round exit with a decent quarterback.

While the 2026 coaching prospect pool has not been as hot as it has been in recent years, this is proven to be more than just a bridge-coach situation. Rooney II hired McCarthy to a five-year deal, and with his reluctancy to ever fire a coach, all of those years will be seen through together barring McCarthy stepping down beforehand, just like Tomlin did to set up this hire in the first place. 

McCarthy does bring a quality offensive mind, which the Steelers have not had in a very long time, so the hope is that he can help develop a quarterback and make this offense great to pair with a highly-paid defense. The problem is that he is similar to Tomlin in the fact that he won a Super Bowl many years ago and has not done much of anything ever since that title, specifically in the postseason.

Steelers Could See Dark Reality If McCarthy Hiring Does Not Go Well

In 2025, there were swarms of angry fans that were either chanting "Fire Mike Tomlin" on at least two different occasions, or just did not show up to the games and allowed opposing fans to take their spots. It would most likely just take one or two poor performances in the regular season to have these fan issues grow exponentially, whether the chants grow louder or fewer black and gold jerseys fill the stadium.

What do you think about Haden and Harrison going off on Rooney for hiring McCarthy? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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