The quarterback position was understandably a focus in Mike McCarthy’s introductory press conference as the new head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. McCarthy has long been held in high esteem for his work with quarterbacks over the past 30+ years, working with names like Joe Montana, Brett Favre, and, of course, Aaron Rodgers.
Of course, Rodgers’ name came up a few times during the press conference, and McCarthy seemed more than open to coaching him again. But regardless of whatever the 42-year-old quarterback’s decision may be, and how McCarthy’s hiring might influence it, Rodgers isn’t the long-term answer at the position.
Eventually, McCarthy is going to need to bring in and develop a long-term starter for this pairing between he and the Steelers to work out successfully. That, in itself, was a big reason general manager Omar Khan said McCarthy was hired.
GM Omar Khan, Pittsburgh Steelers confident Mike McCarthy can groom a long-term solution under center
“I’d say, look, with everybody we talked to, the conversation of developing the next young– you know, the next quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers was part of it. I think Mike’s resume speaks for itself, who he’s been around. But we’re excited about working with Will [Howard]. And, yeah, that was a part of it," Khan said in McCarthy's introductory press conference on Tuesday.
Khan clearly caught himself saying something he maybe wasn’t supposed to by using the adjective “young” in describing the next Steelers quarterback. Mentioning Will Howard specifically may have just been an on-the-fly damage-control response.
Of course, Howard and Mason Rudolph are the only quarterbacks under contract for 2026, and we’re several weeks away from that changing. McCarthy said himself he was excited to work with both going forward, though not necessarily in a manner that would suggest either will be the starter this season.
Regardless, the point stands that McCarthy will need to solve the quarterback dilemma during his tenure as the Steelers’ head coach. He assured Steelers fans that the defensive scheme will be preserved as he works toward building his coaching staff. So, if he can successfully make that transition, the biggest concern remaining is the one position Pittsburgh has struggled to get right since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement.
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McCarthy spoke at length about his knowledge and experience in raising quarterbacks throughout his career in answering many of his first questions as head coach of the Steelers, but he also acknowledged what has changed over the decades that he’ll be keeping an eye on for the next franchise quarterback in the Steel City.
“The quarterback runs, the called quarterback runs, is probably the biggest thing that’s changed in the last five, six, seven years, and, obviously, you know, the rules protecting them and making it possible,” McCarthy said. “I think that is the biggest evolution that I think is obvious to all of us. But at the end of the day, to win these big games that are being played in January, they still got to make throws from the pocket.”
Steelers fans won’t find much to disagree with there. It’s just a matter of finding the guy who checks all of those boxes, something the Steelers currently lack.