Steelers Reportedly Keeping 3 Big Members Of Mike Tomlin's Staff

The Pittsburgh Steelers made an unpopular move in hiring Mike McCarthy to be the team's new head coach after Mike Tomlin stepped down from the role. McCarthy has plenty of experience in the NFL, but many within the fan base wanted someone younger. That didn't happen, but McCarthy is determined to turn things around for the organization, and that is going to start with his new coaching staff that he brings to Pittsburgh.

After Tomlin stepped down, assistant coaches from the 2025 season were told that they could search for employment elsewhere. They would also have a chance to interview in Pittsburgh to be retained by McCarthy. Some of those coaches have already pursued other opportunities, while it was announced on Wednesday that McCarthy would be keeping some coaches from the 2025 season. Insider Gerry Dulac broke the news.

Tom Arth, Scott McCurley, and Gerald Alexander are all good coaches to retain. Arth has been praised since coming to Pittsburgh as the quarterbacks coach in 2024, and that is an area the franchise needs to hone in on. Alexander has gotten the best out of some young players in the secondary, and McCurley and McCarthy go back a long way to when they were both with the Green Bay Packers.

It has been made clear that McCarthy and the higher ups in the organization believe in young quarterback Will Howard. That doesn't mean he is ever going to get a chance to start, but the organization wants to develop him. McCarthy specializes in this, but it is also important to keep him around his current quarterbacks coach as well. Arth also has a good relationship with Aaron Rodgers in case he decides he wants to come back and continue his playing career too.

Alexander did a great job during the 2025 season. Joey Porter Jr. took a massive step forward, and it is a key offseason for the cornerback as he is due for an extension. Keeping his position coach around is a good move, especially with how Porter's play has improved in each season. Another highlight from the 2025 season would be James Pierre filling in and securing the starting role at cornerback opposite Porter. Pierre was destined just to be a special teams player, but he progressed mightily under Alexander's tutelage. 

McCurley is the only somewhat questionable decision. Pittsburgh's inside linebackers left a lot to be desired with their play in 2025, and Patrick Queen has not quite lived up to his contract. He is already being looked at as a potential cut candidate during the 2026 offseason. He has only had one season with McCurley, but it would have been nice to see some more improvement. McCurley was with McCarthy in Green Bay as mentioned, and he was also with the head coach throughout his entire tenure with the Dallas Cowboys. Their existing relationship likely played a major role in him being retained.

Steelers' Mike McCarthy Still Has More Work To Do On His Coaching Staff

McCarthy is off to a decent start at building up the staff around him. He has already announced that he will be calling plays, which makes an offensive coordinator hire a little less important than usual. Fans want to see the coaching staff expand as Pittsburgh has never had a passing game coordinator while other successful teams around the league do, so it will be interesting to see if more positions are added to the group than in the years under Tomlin's reign.

What do you think about McCarthy retaining these coaches? Let us know in the comments below!

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