Mike Tomlin Will Never Admit This About Steelers HC Mike McCarthy's First Season

The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves in territory few franchises have ever experienced. Since the 1969 season, the Steelers have had just four head coaches, making stability one of the organization's defining traits. Mike Tomlin decided it was time for a new voice following the 2025 season, paving the way for Mike McCarthy to take over. McCarthy is now tasked with trying to revive a storied franchise that has not won a playoff game since the 2016 season.

During his 19-year tenure in Pittsburgh, Tomlin remarkably never endured a losing season. However, the biggest issue was that the back half of his tenure was not particularly successful when it came to meaningful postseason victories. Tomlin wanted to continue being part of the solution, but ultimately felt a new voice would be better for the organization.

Ironically, McCarthy got the best of Tomlin when he and the Green Bay Packers defeated Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl XLV. Now, McCarthy will attempt to bring a seventh Lombardi Trophy to his beloved hometown team. He'll also have Aaron Rodgers back under center, although the future Hall of Fame quarterback is now 42 years old.

Many pundits and fans are trying to figure out just how good the Steelers will be in 2026. During a segment on 93.7 The Fan, former NFL player and Pitt standout Dorin Dickerson revealed that he doesn't believe Tomlin is necessarily hoping McCarthy thrives.

"Nobody wants your successor to do better than you," Dickerson said while discussing whether Tomlin could be rooting for a disappointing 2026 season. "I mean I don’t care what it is. It’s a weird, tough, struggling feeling whenever you have to watch someone do what you did, your job and they do it better."

Publicly, Dickerson doesn't believe Tomlin would ever admit such a thing, and he even acknowledged it sounds strange to say. 

Still, he believes human nature probably takes over in situations like this.

"I mean think about it," Dickerson said.

It sounds crazy to think that someone like Tomlin would be petty enough to root against his former team. Many within Steeler Nation would never even believe that. However, Dickerson does bring up some interesting points.

From a natural human psychology standpoint, it would be understandable if Tomlin didn't want Pittsburgh to have a great first season under McCarthy because it would further reinforce the idea that he failed down the stretch. As of now, Tomlin only knows that his teams didn't execute when they needed to most.

Steelers Ex-HC Tomlin Likely Rooting For His Guys

Seeing McCarthy go out and win a playoff game with TJ Watt, Cam Heyward, Chris Boswell, and the rest of the roster would certainly be telling in the eyes of many Steelers fans. At the same time, Tomlin is widely regarded as a good person, and he publicly stated that he stepped away because he wanted players like Watt, Heyward, and Boswell to experience the excitement and optimism that come with a new coach.

It's hard to believe he would truly be rooting against those players, and when viewed through that lens, it seems pretty unlikely Tomlin actually feels that way. Still, Dickerson's speculation is certainly fair. As for McCarthy and his Steelers, he will need to get off to a hot start if he wants to avoid the ire from the fan base.

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