At least one Pittsburgh Steelers icon is on board with the team’s decision to hire Mike McCarthy as head coach.
Former Steelers coach Bill Cowher was enthusiastic about the McCarthy hire on Sunday when speaking on CBS’ “The NFL Today.” Cowher emphasized McCarthy’s offensive style and personal ties as being important selling points.
“Number one, he’s an offensive-minded guy, Mike McCarthy, everywhere he’s been. He understands the value of running the football,” Cowher said. “He coached Joe Montana. He coached Brett Favre. He coached Aaron Rodgers. He coached Dak Prescott. Everywhere he’s been, he’s uplifted the offense.
“If you look at the Pittsburgh Steelers right now, when there’s been inconsistencies in recent years, it’s been the instability of not having a reliable offense. He walks into that room with credibility. … And oh yeah, he’s from Pittsburgh too. He knows the tradition. He knows what the expectation is. He knows what that fanbase is all about. He’s a Yinzer. I think it’s a very good hire for the Pittsburgh Steelers.”
"I really like this hire … everywhere he's been he's uplifted the offense."@CowherCBS on the Steelers hiring Mike McCarthy as next head coach. pic.twitter.com/21OX8wZ3wm
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 25, 2026
The Steelers are likely looking at things in much the same way. Their struggling offense needs help, and the hope is McCarthy can uplift it. As Cowher noted, the local ties do not hurt either.
Not everyone is quite as enthusiastic about the McCarthy hire, with some dismissing him as a retread lacking new ideas. Cowher is not among them. In the short term, McCarthy might actually be the right man to keep the team competitive and avoid a major rebuild.
