The Pittsburgh Steelers are deep into their head coaching search at this point. As of January 22, they have interviewed 10 candidates. Seven virtually, three in person. And it is one of those in-person interviews that is making some people antsy. Mike McCarthy.
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McCarthy was let go by the Dallas Cowboys after the 2024 campaign. He did not coach anywhere in 2025 but is now in the running for the Steelers’ vacancy. McCarthy was born and raised in Pittsburgh and coached at Pitt as a youngster. He is a Yinzer to the core.
And some might look at McCarthy’s wildly successful run with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay during the 2010s and think, “Hey, maybe we can recreate that in Pittsburgh.” But as Dan Orlovsky argued on ESPN recently, running it back with the McCarthy-Rodgers combo in the big 2026 would be the absolute worst possible direction for the Steelers.
“Hiring Mike McCarthy and bringing Aaron Rodgers back would be the worst decision Pittsburgh could make,” Orlovsky declared strongly during a segment on Get Up.
“And that’s not an indictment on each of them or either of them individually. Mike McCarthy is a really good coach. Obviously, Aaron is one of the all-time greats. To hire Mike McCarthy and bring Aaron back is going to place you quite literally in the same position you’re in right now in January of 2027,” added the analyst.
He’s not wrong. McCarthy is in his 60s. He’s a decade older than Mike Tomlin. If the Steelers want another decade-long tenure from their next head coach, they have to go young. And that means both head coach and quarterback.
Whether the McCarthy-Rodgers reunion is even realistic is another question entirely. McCarthy did an in-person interview, so he’s definitely interested. But a big reason McCarthy was let go in Green Bay was a rift with Rodgers.
Meanwhile, at 42 and with the way he played in that Wild Card playoff game, Rodgers may not even want to come back, no matter who the coach is. Anyways, the Steelers shouldn’t want him back, lest they repeat their mistakes of 2025.
“I said this when they made the moves [signing Rodgers] last year: they’re in the worst possible place,” Orlovsky continued. “Because they’re gonna be good enough to win 9-10 games, and they’re not gonna be bad enough to finally get a quarterback. That would be a disastrous thing to do for your future.”
"Hiring Mike McCarthy and bringing Aaron [Rodgers] back would be the worst decision Pittsburgh could make."
—@danorlovsky7 on what's next for the Steelers 😳 pic.twitter.com/Tdqx9z7w4B
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) January 22, 2026
The McCarthy-Rodgers reunion in Pittsburgh would not only be detrimental for the Steelers, but it is also highly unlikely to happen even if the Steelers do hire McCarthy. However, winning 9-10 games again in 2026 would not be disastrous. That’s a common misconception, and we’ll tell you why.
Half of the top QBs in the NFL in 2025 were drafted late
The Steelers have generally drafted in the 14-24 range in the first round over the past five years when they’ve been stuck in mediocrity hell, as some like to say.
Last year, 10 of the top 20 quarterbacks in the NFL in passer rating were drafted either in that 14-24 range in the first round or afterwards.
If Pittsburgh can figure out a way to better identify quarterback talent and strike when the iron is hot, they could go 9-8 in 2026 and still find a franchise QB in the draft in 2027. If they really wanted to, they could also trade up.
Finishing 9-8 or 10-7 does not preclude you from finding a franchise-altering QB. If a blue-chip QB prospect is what the Steelers want, they could have and still can find a way to draft one without having an ugly 3- or 4-win season. The proof is in the pudding.
