Mike McCarthy Accomplishes Feat No Former Cowboys Head Coach has Since Jimmy Johnson

On Saturday, former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy was hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers as their new head coach.

McCarthy replaces Mike Tomlin, who held the job for 19 years and never had a losing record. He led them to a record of 10-7 in each of the past three seasons, but without a playoff win since 2016, the Steelers decided to go in a different direction.

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That led them to McCarthy, a Pittsburgh native who joins one of the most stable organizations ever. Since 1969, the Steelers have had just three head coaches, with Chuck Noll holding the job for 23 years and Bill Cowher holding it for 18 years.

An interesting side note to the news is that McCarthy became the first former Cowboys head coach to land another head coaching job within 10 years of leaving Dallas since Jimmy Johnson. According to Nick Harris, Chan Gailey received an opportunity with the Buffalo Bills 11 years later, but their other former coaches all failed to receive the top job again.

Mike McCarthy is the first former Cowboys head coach to land another head coaching job in the NFL within 10 years of departing Dallas since Jimmy Johnson.

Chan Gailey landed a job with Buffalo 11 years after being fired in Dallas. Barry Switzer, Dave Campo, Bill Parcells, Wade… https://t.co/yUKaXMqjH5
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) January 24, 2026

Johnson coached the Miami Dolphins for four years, going 36-28 and 2-3 in the postseason.

Mike McCarthy has held three amazing positions in the NFL

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy on the sidelines against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Now that he's joined his hometown team, McCarthy has held three of the most coveted positions in the NFL. He's been the head coach for three of the most iconic franchises: the Green Bay Packers, the Cowboys, and now, the Steelers.

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He will also have plenty of pressure on him to win it all. The previous hires in Pittsburgh all have Super Bowl wins, with Noll taking home four titles, while Cowher and Tomlin each won one.

That won't be an easy feat, since no NFL head coach has ever won a Super Bowl with two teams in the head-coaching role. Former Dallas offensive coordinator Sean Payton hopes to do so with the Denver Broncos, after winning one with the New Orleans Saints, but a broken ankle suffered by quarterback Bo Nix could end his bid this year.

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