Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana appeared on the Pat McAfee Show Tuesday morning to discuss the Pittsburgh Steelers' hiring of Mike McCarthy as their new head coach. Montana’s endorsement was clear and enthusiastic. “I think it’s great. I think it’s a good fit,” he told McAfee, adding that he had just been talking about McCarthy with his son-in-law and reaffirmed his belief that McCarthy will make a positive impact on the Steelers offense.
Montana’s comments carry weight because of his long career and deep connections to NFL coaching circles, even though the two men’s professional paths barely crossed on the same sideline.
McCarthy’s narrative at the Steelers introductory press conference was about coming home to the team he grew up cheering for, a Pittsburgh native with a Super Bowl on his résumé. McCarthy said the Steelers organization means “the world” to him and that he is singularly focused on bringing another championship to the city.
Joe Montana's words may be the positivity Pittsburgh Steelers fans need right now
Montana’s Hall of Fame career is best known for his accomplishments with the San Francisco 49ers, where he won four Super Bowls and earned multiple Super Bowl MVP awards. In the twilight of his playing days, Montana joined the Kansas City Chiefs under Coach Marty Schottenheimer for the final two seasons of his career before retiring. During that period, a young McCarthy was on the Chiefs’ coaching staff as an offensive quality control coach and later as a quarterbacks coach.
While most observers agree McCarthy was not a formative influence on Montana’s development as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, their time in Kansas City overlapped and gave McCarthy early exposure to elite quarterback play. As Montana himself made clear on the show, the two connected at the time and developed a mutual respect, adding an interesting dimension to McCarthy’s return to his hometown.
On the Pat McAfee Show, Montana emphasized that McCarthy’s coaching style and experience align well with the Steelers’ culture and needs. He pointed to McCarthy’s decades of experience handling high-level quarterbacks and big-stage offenses, exactly what Pittsburgh will need as it tries to revitalize its own offense after years of inconsistency.
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Montana’s endorsement was not casual. He shared that he and his son-in-law had discussed McCarthy’s fit in Pittsburgh and noted that McCarthy represents the kind of proven football intellect that can succeed in a demanding environment. That perspective matters because Montana has spent his life around elite football minds and has seen how coaching philosophy and system fit can make or break a team’s success.
McCarthy’s coaching path traces loosely back to a version of what many recognize as the West Coast offense. While he is not directly tied to the Bill Walsh coaching tree like contemporaries Mike Shanahan or Andy Reid, McCarthy learned foundational principles of structured, quarterback-friendly offense under Paul Hackett early in his career.
Hackett, a direct disciple of Bill Walsh, coached in San Francisco before McCarthy’s tenure and later brought those concepts to the Chiefs, where McCarthy was on staff. That early exposure shaped McCarthy’s understanding of offense and quarterback development, a background Montana clearly appreciates.
Montana’s endorsement on the Pat McAfee Show adds credibility to McCarthy’s hiring and may reassure Steelers fans uneasy about moving on from their longstanding leadership model. Having one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history publicly affirm that McCarthy is a good fit for Pittsburgh suggests the hiring decision resonated even beyond the Steelers universe.
Whether McCarthy’s offensive philosophy produces the results Steelers Nation hopes for will be seen on Sundays. For now, Joe Montana’s voice in the conversation provides a compelling early vote of confidence.