New Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy has begun to fill out his staff for 2026. A lot of these hires are quickly setting the tone that they will be bringing a new approach to the Steelers' plans on gameday. Some of these changes are particularly exciting, and with the exciting changes, this has resulted in many of them being praised by the media before even coaching a single game in the Steel City. However, some of the praise is coming from the past experience that these coordinators have, and how they are viewed around the league today.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
New Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy giving his introductory press conference alongside Team President Art Rooney II and General Manager Omar Khan.
One such coordinator that is receiving high praise from the media is new offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio, who had previously served as the passing game coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings. His previous body of work has generated a lot of buzz around the league. His arrival to Pittsburgh has been met with a lot of positive reactions as well, but on Wednesday afternoon, some of the most positive news about Angelichio has surfaced that should excite Steelers fans.
Reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala joined 93.7 The Fan recently to discuss various aspects of the Steelers, and opened up with two very exciting remarks about Angelichio that say a lot about the type of coach the Steelers will be getting.
"He is all ball, true salt of the earth, genuine, genuine, sincere guy," Kinkhabwala said. "He is really about football, really about his guys. I have never met a player or a coach, a player who played under him, or a coach who works with him who didn't love Ang, he's just that kind of a guy."
This is only the first part of the praise Kinkhabwala had for Angelichio, as she would later go on to describe why she believes this is a great hire for the Steelers.
"And I'll tell you what else is super cool," Kinkhabwala said. "We get so excited right now about the young, super young coaches out of the [Sean] McVay or [Kyle] Shanahan tree or whatever, this is a guy that has done it the right way. He's just worked and worked and worked his way up, he's worked for Kevin O'Connell. I think he'll be a great fit here, I think his players will love him; I am personally very excited for his opportunity, and I think it's a great hire."
Kinkhabwala's comment on Angelichio's past experience with the Vikings is a big point to note, as not only did he also serve as the passing game coordinator, he also served as the tight ends coach in Minnesota. He also has history with McCarthy, working together in Green Bay in the past, so the familiarity they already have will go a long way to establishing the new culture in Pittsburgh.
Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Images
New Steelers offensive coordinator, Brian Angelichio looks on during a regular season matchup during his time with the Minnesota Vikings.
The news about Angelichio becoming offensive coordinator is exciting for another reason too. During his time with the Vikings, the team has finished the regular season with a top 10 offense twice in the past five years. This proves that the Steelers' offense could be primed to take the next step in the 2026 NFL season, but it also means something else that will be the best news for one of the Steelers' top playmakers.
Steelers' Offense Should Improve In A Major Way Next Season
The one player who should be most excited about Angelichio's arrival in Pittsburgh should be Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth. Freiermuth's production in the offense last season wasn't the best, but when targeted, he made plays when he needed to. With a new approach to the offense, Freiermuth should hopefully see both higher numbers and a larger share of production in the offense.
Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth (88) during a regular season matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns.
What did you think about Kinkhabwala's comments regarding Angelichio being hired? Let us know in the comments below.
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