Steelers Reach Verbal Agreement To Hire Mike McCarthy
Team says verbal agreement reached Jan. 24, 2026 to make Mike McCarthy head coach, replacing Mike Tomlin.
USA TODAYMike McCarthy hiring winners and losers: Steelers land new head coach
Chicago TribunePittsburgh Steelers hiring Mike McCarthy as coach of his hometown team
USA TODAYWhat Aaron Rodgers' future looks like with Mike McCarthy becoming Steelers coach
Associated PressSteelers and Mike McCarthy have reached a verbal agreement for McCarthy to coach his hometown team
Overview
The Pittsburgh Steelers announced on Jan. 24, 2026 that the club has reached a verbal agreement to hire Mike McCarthy, 62, as head coach to replace Mike Tomlin, according to the team.
Mike McCarthy is 185-123-2 across 18 NFL seasons, including 13 with the Green Bay Packers and five with the Dallas Cowboys, and inherits a team that has lost in its first playoff game in each of its last six appearances, records show.
Art Rooney II said on Jan. 13, 2026 that the franchise will "try to compete day one," while some analysts urged a rebuild and others praised McCarthy's experience, according to interviews and media reports.
The Steelers hold the No. 21 overall pick in the 2026 draft and currently have only veteran backup Mason Rudolph and 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard under contract at quarterback, a roster situation that will shape McCarthy's first offseason, roster records show.
McCarthy's hiring could affect Aaron Rodgers, who will be a free agent in March 2026 and previously won a Super Bowl under McCarthy, and the team must decide its quarterback strategy ahead of the late April 2026 draft, league sources said.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame McCarthy’s hiring as a pragmatic, hometown redemption story, emphasizing experience and potential to revitalize a stalled franchise. Editorial choices — loaded descriptors ("purgatory," "luster"), selective historical comparisons to Noll/Cowher/Tomlin, and highlighting Aaron Rodgers’ possibility — steer readers toward hopeful efficacy. Rooney’s quoted denial is source content.