The Pittsburgh Steelers have a new head coach for the first time in a long time, hiring Mike McCarthy to lead the franchise this offseason. McCarthy, a Pittsburgh native, understands the magnitude of being the Steelers head coach, and that was evident in his introductory press conference. However, his love, alone, isn’t going to transform the team back into a serious contender.
Fortunately, McCarthy also has the football résumé that indicates change could be on the way. His former player, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, recently explained that. Appearing on the Ross Tucker Podcast, Lamb gushed when he was asked what are the Steelers getting in McCarthy. The veteran wideout quickly said a great guy who loves Pittsburgh.
Going beyond McCarthy’s love for the city, Lamb explained that the head coach is going to make his vision clear, and the entire building will feel his energy. When it comes to McCarthy’s offense, the five-time Pro Bowl receiver let everyone know that the offensive-minded head coach wants to go vertical.
“He LOVES Pittsburgh…”
— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) March 18, 2026
“He wants to go vertical with the ball. I'm gonna tell you that RIGHT now…”
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb (@_CeeDeeThree_) discusses Steelers new HC, Mike McCarthy: pic.twitter.com/dL1amy4SAp
CeeDee Lamb says Mike McCarthy wants to go vertical with his offense
As Lamb highlighted, McCarthy was his head coach for the first five years of the receiver’s career — up until the 2025 season. During the coach’s time in Dallas, he led one of the league’s most productive offenses, and also helped Lamb become a top receiver in the league. The hope is that he can bring that high-scoring offense and player development to Pittsburgh.
The Steelers have a talented receiver in D.K. Metcalf, and they recently traded for productive veteran wideout Michael Pittman Jr. The team also added veteran running back Rico Dowdle, who McCarthy coached in Dallas, giving the offense some intriguing weapons. The biggest question that remains is who will be under center orchestrating the offense.
The belief is that Aaron Rodgers will return for another season, reuniting with McCarthy, who he won a Super Bowl with. That would certainly be a great story, but it remains to be seen if that will happen.
Whoever it is that ultimately starts at quarterback for the Steelers, they need to be prepared to throw the long ball, because as CeeDee Lamb made clear, Mike McCarthy will want them to.