Steelers' Mike McCarthy Gets Strongly Endorsed By NFL Legend And Fellow Pittsburgh Native

The Pittsburgh Steelers are having potentially their craziest offseason since 2007. Mike Tomlin, the former head coach, stepped down after 19 seasons, which left the franchise in a spiral. About a week later, the Steelers named former head coach of the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys, and Super Bowl Champion, Mike McCarthy as their new lead man. The Steelers decided that, of all the candidates, McCarthy was the best fit for what they want to accomplish: win a Super Bowl. McCarthy, a fellow Yinzer, has a solid track record of developing quarterbacks, such as Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, and Dak Prescott. However, one of his former quarterbacks gave McCarthy his approval.

NFL Legend Joe Montana played under McCarthy with the Kansas City Chiefs. While Montana was already a legend in the game, he still got some pretty good play, playing for McCarthy. McCarthy was just an offensive quality control coach with the Chiefs, but that didn't stop Montana from publicly praising McCarthy on The Pat McAfee Show. Montana went on to approve the hire of McCarthy, and even went into how the offensive play style will be different in Pittsburgh.

"What a great fit from a guy who understands what that area is all about and how important sports and football is to Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh area," Montana said. "So I think it's a great fit for them, I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do down there." 

Montana proceeded. He also discussed the offensive style and why McCarthy is the right guy for this job. 

"He's bringing a completely different style of play into that offense," Montana explained. "You're watching usually Aaron, kinda hang on, getting the ball down the field. He's gonna teach a different system that says, 'Hey, you don't have to do that.' Don't force it, don't miss it. I'm gonna give you a couple other guys, down here. If you don't like it on first down, I don't want you to force it.'" 

Hopefully, Montana is correct. The Steelers' offense has been putrid for a long time now and is long overdue for a change in offensive philosophy. Though the goal of running the ball effectively will remain, most teams have that philosophy. 

The offense will be more quarterback-driven. Though the Steelers currently don't fully know their quarterback situation for 2026 just yet, McCarthy will surely figure out the position. After all, it's one of his specialties.

Steelers Are In A Really Tough Spot

The Steelers brought in McCarthy because they felt that he gave them the best chance to win a Super Bowl, as mentioned. However, the team in recent years has been consistently in the middle of the pack in the league. They are likely not going to have a roster overhaul, so what are the Steelers going to do at quarterback?

It has been reported that McCarthy likes Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. He carries a huge cap hit and would cost a low draft pick. The Cardinals would likely also have to eat some of his deal. McCarthy also endorsed Will Howard in his opening press conference. There are also two realistic options for the Steelers in the upcoming draft, but neither is likely to be better than Howard. 

Ty Simpson and Garrett Nussmeier coming into the season were seen as promising prospects. However, as the season went on, it was clear that this wasn't the case. Simpson's play faded, and Nussmeier just couldn't get any momentum. While Simpson likely won't be available for the Steelers in the second round, Nussmeier could be taken by the team in the third or fourth round. Neither of these guys however, are likely to become franchise quarterbacks, but it will certainly make the Steelers' quarterback competition more interesting. 

What do you think? Do you agree with Montana? Who should the Steelers' starting quarterback be in 2026? Let us know in the comments.

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