As the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to search for their next head coach, they’re reaching out to one of the most experienced candidates on the market. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Steelers “are expected to speak with” former Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy.
Per NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, the Steelers have scheduled an interview with McCarthy for this week.
If hired, it would begin McCarthy’s third chapter as an NFL head coach. He held the job for 13 years with the Green Bay Packers, 2006-2018, leading the franchise to winning Super Bowl XLV over the Steelers. Taking a year off in 2019, he returned to the sidelines in 2020 as the Dallas Cowboys’ head coach. Despite three-straight 12-5 seasons, his team struggled in the playoffs and after slumping to a 7-10 finish in 2024, his contract was not renewed.
For his career, McCarthy sports a 174-112-2 record. In the playoffs, he’s even at 11-11 but 1-3 since 2017.
A Pittsburgh native from the suburb of Greenfield, McCarthy has coached in the area before. The University of Pittsburgh hired him as a Grad Assistant in 1989, where he remained through 1992. Promoted to wide receivers coach for that final year, he landed his first NFL job with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1993 as a quality control coach. He spent nearly the rest of the decade there before being hired as the Green Bay Packers’ quarterbacks coach in 1999. He worked with Brett Favre, who led the league in pass attempts and threw for over 4,000 yards.
The New Orleans Saints named McCarthy offensive coordinator in 2000. There, he briefly overlapped with current Steelers general manager Omar Khan and assistant Andy Weidl. Khan worked in Football Ops and as a coaching assistant while Weidl served as a scout. McCarthy spent five years in the position, twice finishing top-ten in scoring offense. Running back Ricky Williams broke out and helped justify the franchise’s blockbuster trade to acquire him. He was the Saints’ only selection in 1999, and he posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons before being traded to Miami in 2002.
McCarthy served as the San Francisco 49ers’ offensive coordinator for the 2005 campaign. Set to work with No. 1 pick QB Alex Smith, injuries and poor play led to a 4-12 finish. That didn’t deter the Packers from hiring him as their coach in 2006. Also going 4-12 in 2005, the team improved to 8-8 in McCarthy’s first year and 13-3 with an NFC North title in 2007. There, he developed Aaron Rodgers to help him become a future Hall of Famer and generational player.
A McCarthy hire could open the door to a Rodgers’ 2026 return. Though that possibility seemed shut with Mike Tomlin’s departure, Rodgers and McCarthy have plenty of history. Rodgers has joked about deciphering McCarthy’s play calls through his Yinzer accent. Steelers players reportedly pushed management to try and make a Rodgers return happen.
On a more minor point, McCarthy has strong ties to current Steelers inside linebackers coach Scott McCurley. McCarthy hired McCurley for his first NFL job in Green Bay and the two spent McCarthy’s Packers tenure together. When McCarthy was hired by Dallas, he brought McCurley with him.
