For the first time in nearly two decades, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a head coach other than Mike Tomlin. Following Tomlin’s surprise decision to step down as head coach after 19 seasons, Steelers general manager Omar Khan landed on Super Bowl champion Mike McCarthy to lead the franchise in 2026 and beyond.
Steelers GM Explains Why Mike McCarthy Was the Ideal Candidate for Head Coach Opening
Khan recently explained why McCarthy was the right fit to be the organization’s next head coach, and it doesn’t completely relate to Aaron Rodgers.
When Khan and the Steelers announced McCarthy as Tomlin’s replacement as the head coach in the Steel City, many believed the hiring was strictly to appease Rodgers.
With the future Hall of Fame quarterback still debating whether or not to play a 22nd season in the NFL, and who to play it with, fans were quick to point to the hiring of McCarthy as an attempt to convince Rodgers to return to the Steelers. This is because the duo won Super Bowl 45 together.
However, Khan expanded on his reasoning for hiring McCarthy, stressing the Steelers’ future at quarterback as the focal point of the decision.
“We were very open-minded…. Mike McCarthy was the right fit for us,” Khan said, when speaking on the “Rich Eisen Show.” Khan then explained why they chose McCarthy after a lengthy, open-minded interview process.
McCarthy’s ties to Pittsburgh were brought up during the interview. Being from Pittsburgh, McCarthy was overjoyed to coach the team he had grown up supporting. McCarthy’s relationship with Khan and the city of Pittsburgh played into the perfect fit that Khan saw for the Steelers’ head coaching position.
“We were very open-minded. … Mike McCarthy was the right fit for us.”
Steelers GM Omar Khan shares the process on how they landed Mike McCarthy as their next head coach 🏈
(via @richeisenshow) pic.twitter.com/E8LQCnOoxq
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) February 24, 2026
Khan was also asked about McCarthy’s fit with the team and what the Steelers were trying to do as a franchise going forward. “You know, I think his resume speaks for itself”, Khan said, “He’s been a Super Bowl-winning head coach, won a lot of football games.”
Khan then praised McCarthy’s ability to develop young quarterbacks, prioritizing the Steelers’ future at the position. In the 2025 season, the Steelers ranked 14th on the PFSN NFL Offense Impact metrics with a 76.4 impact score.
“He has alot of experience in developing young quarterbacks, and you know where we are as an organization, we are still trying to identify who that next franchise quarterback is for us. Is it Will Howard, you know, we’ll see, but we’re not there yet, we have to figure that out.” Khan said.
It is clear that Rodgers remains the top priority at the quarterback position, but the question of what comes after Rodgers is no longer in the rearview mirror; the Steelers may have to make a decision sooner rather than later.
With that in mind, and with Howard, a national championship-winning quarterback, on the roster, Khan clearly decided to bring on McCarthy to help develop Howard and whoever comes next, whether Rodgers returns for another year or not.
