Steelers' Mike McCarthy Addresses Greatest Concerns About His Coaching Staff

The Pittsburgh Steelers are operating under a completely new era since Mike Tomlin decided to step away from coaching at the age of 53. Now, Mike McCarthy comes to the Steel City with 18 seasons of head coaching experience under his belt. Over a dozen of those years came with the Green Bay Packers, and five were spent with the Dallas Cowboys. Having led two historic and storied franchises, McCarthy understands what it means to be at the helm for passionate and demanding fan bases.

One of McCarthy’s biggest challenges upon arriving in Pittsburgh was filling out his coaching staff, and he wasted little time doing so. Out of the 25 coaches hired, McCarthy has previously worked with 14 in some capacity. Many of those relationships span multiple seasons from his times in both Green Bay and Dallas. Familiarity and trust were clear priorities, as McCarthy leaned on coaches who already understood his philosophy and expectations.

Steelers fans have been especially curious about this staff and are eager to see them get to work ahead of the 2026 season. While speaking on ESPN Wisconsin on Friday, McCarthy offered additional insight into his coaching hires and the process behind assembling the group. His comments helped shed light on how experience, continuity, and shared history played a major role in shaping the new era of Steelers football.

"Oh, definitely, we are all loving it," McCarthy said. "It’s just like anything. These are friends for life that I was able to bring aboard, and it means the world to me. Just for them to hear all the old stories, and now to actually see where it happened, has been funny. But no, they are not just great people, they are also great coaches."

Steelers fans likely got a little nervous hearing the first sentiment out of McCarthy’s mouth. It is clear that McCarthy hired based on comfort and trust, which carries plenty of potential upside. However, it could also come with some drawbacks if McCarthy leaned too heavily on familiarity or bias. 

Still, he has a proven track record of building strong coaching collectives, and hearing him speak so highly of these hires gives Steelers fans a reason to hold some optimism.

"It’s exciting to build something new but still have the lessons that we learned, particularly with our team in Green Bay," McCarthy said. 

One thing that truly excites Pittsburgh football fans is the fact that McCarthy built a massive coaching staff, potentially the largest in the franchise’s history. 

Steelers' McCarthy Clearly Didn't Agree With Tomlin's Approach

Many Steelers fans were frustrated during the Tomlin era because he did not fully maximize the size of his staff. They felt it was self-sabotage to avoid using every available resource, especially when other teams around the league, particularly successful ones, were loading up on assistants.

Clearly, McCarthy disagrees with that philosophy, and he took full advantage of the opportunity to build out his own staff. There are plenty of exciting names and familiar faces, and now Steelers fans want to see for themselves what unfolds on the field when the 2026 campaign arrives.

As for McCarthy, the challenge ahead of him is not going to be easy. He is inheriting a fan base that has not tasted playoff success since the 2016 season. Pittsburgh has not only failed to win a playoff game during that stretch, but the team has also suffered several blowout losses in those contests. Now, McCarthy will look to not only end that drought, but also elevate this team back into the Super Bowl conversation.

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