The Pittsburgh Steelers' decision to hire Mike McCarthy to replace Mike Tomlin was one of the least inspirational choices of the NFL offseason. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers' recent comments about his head coach should do even more to discourage fans in the Steel City.
Rodgers recently went on record with his belief that many of the plays he's been asked to run this preseason are stuff he "used to run" with McCarthy during their time together in Green Bay. As a reminder, the last time Rodgers and McCarthy worked together was back in December of 2018 when the Packers were bounced from the playoffs by the Arizona Cardinals.
The bad might outweigh the good with Mike McCarthy on the Steelers
On one hand, some bit of continuity should help the Steelers avoid the sort of slow start that occasionally accompanies a coaching change. Higher-ups in Pittsburgh will certainly tout that as an advantage of the McCarthy hire.
The other side of McCarthy relying so much on the core principles that drove his offense over a decade ago is that NFL defenses have had more than enough time to learn his tendencies and develop schemes to stop them.
That's especially concerning given how limited Rodgers is as an athlete at this stage of his career. He needs an offensive ecosystem that allows him to be the trigger man for the skill players around him. Asking him to make any meaningful number of plays outside the structure of a conventional offense is a recipe for disaster for the Steelers.
How good can the Steelers be under Mike McCarthy in 2026?
Proponents of McCarthy will point out to just how prolific his offenses were in Dallas as proof of what he can do with the Steelers. The problem with that comparison is that prime Dak Prescott is a far superior signal-caller than Rodgers after the age of 40. The Cowboys offense succeeded in spite of McCarthy's limitations as a playcaller rather than because of them.
McCarthy will have some high moments as a playcaller in Pittsburgh, but his limitations will start to show up more prominently as the regular season rolls along. In the end, the Steelers ceiling as a team in 2026 likely tops out as a 10-win team capable of sneaking into the playoffs via a Wild Card berth.
That's not a good place to reside with a quarterback who could easily retire at any moment. The Steelers should have hired a head coach capable of overseeing a rebuild. Instead, they went with a retread who can only help them continue to stumble around in mediocrity.
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