The NFL coaching cycle is just about wrapped up, as the final teams are busy finalizing deals to secure their head coaches. The Pittsburgh Steelers made their choice early on by tabbing Mike McCarthy as their new coach in 2026.
The fan reaction hasn’t been great.
While the hope was that the team would land a young and innovative mind, they opted for experience instead. It felt like a safe choice for a team that has floundered with “safe” options in recent years.
However, with the dust now settled, it seems increasingly clear that this rumor around the reason this team brought McCarthy in is clear. The coaching class wasn’t this year, and the Steelers weren’t going to force themselves to move forward with an ill-prepared coach.
The Pittsburgh Steelers pivoted when they hired Mike McCarthy
It seemed early on that the Steelers had two names on their short list for the head coach vacancy: Chris Shula and Nathan Scheelhaase. Shula, in particular, seemed like the early favorite.
He fit the mold of what this team had wanted in the past. A young defensive mind that could be here for the long term. Scheelhaase would have felt aggressive given his experience, but he is certainly an ascending coach.
You had other names floated around, like Anthony Weaver and Jesse Minter, but it always felt like one of the Rams coaches was going to be the hire. Heck, reports swirled that the team was interested in Shula before Mike Tomlin even retired.
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That didn’t take away from the overall weakness of this coaching class. I’m assuming those issues materialized when they initially interviewed.
And the rest of the league seemed to agree, as neither Shula nor Sheelhaase got head coaching jobs this cycle.
Now, Pittsburgh could have still just plowed forward and still forced one of those young coaches into the role. Assuming they didn’t think they were a great long-term fit, though, that would have been a massive blunder.
Instead, you get a coach who will keep you relevant while you still have a veteran roster. You aren’t tying yourself to McCarthy for the long-term. Instead, you can still compete while he is here and, hopefully, McCarthy can find and help develop the next franchise quarterback.
If I had to guess, the Steelers really liked Shula initially, but his first interview didn’t impress. With no better option out there interested in Pittsburgh, they turned to a veteran coach instead.
That doesn’t mean I love this hire. I think the ceiling is limited, and I’m skeptical that McCarthy can truly develop a young franchise quarterback. However, seeing the fallout of the hiring cycle, it seems like the McCarthy hire was a reaction to the weak coaching class overall.