Mike McCarthy will miss Jerry Jones in his first offseason with the Steelers

Chuck Noll. Bill Cowher. Mike Tomlin. Mike McCarthy?

The Steelers fourth head coaching hire in nearly 60 years raised eyebrows across the NFL. McCarthy, well into his 60's in his own right, points to a team putting off its transition for another few years at the very least. The argument McCarthy reportedly used to sway his hometown team to hire him was an impressive one, as the veteran head coaching retread pointed to his history developing quarterbacks, from Joe Montana to Aaron Rodgers to even Dak Prescott. The Steelers don't have one of those. Unfortunately for McCarthy, they're also lacking a hell of a lot else.

Why the Steelers chose Mike McCarthy

I can't pretend to have all the answers, but Art Rooney II made it crystal clear in his end-of-season press conference what he was looking for in his next head coach after Mike Tomlin resigned. Art wanted nothing to do with a rebuild, retool, re-anything. The Steelers hired McCarthy because they plan to compete, though their definition of competing is lacking substance. Making the postseason only to get blown out by more than three touchdowns wouldn't warrant running it back anywhere but Pittsburgh.

And to be fair to McCarthy, he is a different coach than Tomlin. He's more of a tactician, rather than a pure motivator, and his focus is on the offensive side of the ball. One could argue both men are stuck in the 2010's, but that'll be proven on the field.

Most importantly, the Steelers chose McCarthy because they prefer a CEO as head coach. McCarthy's played that role successfully in both Green Bay and Dallas. He knows how to take a step back and let a talented group of coordinators do their job, but also keep an eye on the bigger picture, making incremental improvements across the organization. There's a reason he's just 20 wins away from passing Tomlin and Noll on the all-time wins list himself.

So, what's the issue with the Steelers hiring Mike McCarthy?

Now that I've praised McCarthy enough to qualify my opinion and even admitted openly that he's a good football coach, I have some bad news. The biggest loser of the Steelers decision isn't the franchise or its fanbase. Rather, it's McCarthy.

Unlike in Dallas, Rooney II is a hands-off owner who lets the football operations team handle anything and everything on-field related. That's ideal for head coaches who prefer to have as much control as possible over the product they display each and every Sunday. However, the bad news is he's not always as willing to invest in his product. Look no further than the NFLPA's report card for all 32 organizations from 2025.

The Steelers ranked 28th out of 32 organizations in a poll of players. The only reason they weren't worse was because of Tomlin. Heck, the head coach was the primary reason many free agents, including Aaron Rodgers, wanted to play in Pittsburgh to begin with. It certainly wasn't the facilities, weight room, practice field, training staff, strength coaches or ownership, which also ranked 28th.

Steelers ownership doesn't spend like the Cowboys, which is a problem

There are very, very few things about the Cowboys organization the Steelers should replicate, but one is to win around the margins. If the on-field product is mediocre at best, then some of the categories outlined above need to be better. And as Rooney II certainly knows, upgrading those facilities and, in some cases people, doesn't come cheap. Yet, the Steelers have been operating on the cheap for years now because their head coach consistently took a bad product and made it just good enough to enter the playoff field, sell tickets and little else.

If the Steelers are going to enter a new age – especially with a 62-year-old head coach at the helm – they'll need to spend high capital on a bigger coaching staff, which starts with new coordinators. They'll need a better practice field, medical staff and weight room. Jerry Jones, the former oil tycoon that he is, understood that. The Cowboys haven't won a Super Bowl in three decades, but in the meantime the value of the franchise has doubled (if not more) and the brand is more important than ever. NFL players want to play in Dallas, and it has little to do with whatever head coach they trot out at the time.

Again, I'll never be jealous of a Cowboys fan. Jones does more harm than good, especially with his postgame press conferences and radio show rants. He can't keep his hands off of football operations, and it shows in his draft classes and, eventually, on the field. But everyone in the organization knows he cares because he backs up that passion with his wallet.

Rooney II is just getting by on his family name. After an uninspiring hire, the time is now to be a little bit more like Jerry.

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