Why the Steelers' Quarterback Situation Was a Big Reason Mike McCarthy Was Hired

The Steelers have struggled to find a long-term solution at the quarterback position ever since Ben Roethlisberger retired four years ago.

Mike McCarthy will become the Steelers’ fourth head coach since 1969. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Steelers made the shocking decision to hire Mike McCarthy as Mike Tomlin’s successor in Pittsburgh on Saturday, making him just the fourth coach of the franchise since 1969.

Many Steelers fans are confused and frustrated with McCarthy’s hiring, with the overall fan reaction being pretty negative. There always seems to be some backlash when hiring a new coach, but this situation is seeing more than normal. Will McCarthy’s hiring be worth it?

The Steelers obviously had their reasons for choosing McCarthy over a handful of other qualified candidates. The biggest reason, though, is reportedly because of the Steelers’ sticky quarterback situation. The team has struggled to find a consistent starting quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season. Since then, there’s been six quarterbacks to take their turn as the starter. The Steelers’ No. 1 priority should now be to find a long-term solution at quarterback, with McCarthy leading the charge.

ESPN’s Brooke Pryor shared that the belief is that McCarthy would be able to develop the next young quarterback in Pittsburgh, whether that’s Will Howard (coming off of his rookie season) or an upcoming drafted player. This would be the long-term solution the Steelers are looking for if they can find a quarterback to build within the organization, similarly to what they did with Roethlisberger when he was drafted in 2004.

McCarthy is an offensive-minded coach, the franchise’s first of his kind in over half a century. He developed quarterbacks with the Chiefs and the Packers, and now he’ll try to replicate that in Pittsburgh.

Of course, the Steelers’ other option at quarterback is to bring back Aaron Rodgers for another year on a new deal. Rodgers still hasn’t publicly announced if he’s retiring or not this offseason, but if he chooses to play at least another year, there’s a good chance now that he will remain in Pittsburgh to compete for his former Packers coach (the duo beat the Steelers together in Super Bowl XLV).

If Rodgers returns to Pittsburgh for the 2026 season, he could guide a young quarterback similarly to what Brett Favre did for him in Green Bay. It would likely be a last hurrah for Rodgers.

The Steelers may have completed one of their big offseason decisions by hiring McCarthy, but the quarterback situation still looms over the franchise. We’ll see what McCarthy can do in Pittsburgh to make his hiring worth it in the long run.

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