Mike McCarthy on Pace to Make History With Steelers

As Mike McCarthy gets set to settle in as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, he has a strong chance to surpass a few of his legendary successors on an all-time leaderboard within the next few seasons.

With 174 regular season wins to his name across 18 seasons as an NFL head coach with the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys, McCarthy comes in at No. 15 for the most victories in league history.

Mike Tomlin, who stepped down from the Steelers after 19 years at the helm this offseason, and Pittsburgh Hall of Famer Chuck Noll are currently tied for the ninth-most head coaching wins with 193, meaning that McCarthy would surpass both of them with 20 victories throughout his tenure with the organization.

After reportedly signing a five-year deal with the Steelers upon being hired, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac, it would appear that McCarthy is in strong position to climb up the rankings and pass both Tomlin and Noll barring a complete disaster over his first few seasons with the team.

Jan 5, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy looks on during the first half against the Washington Commanders at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Comparing McCarthy's Resume to Tomlin and Noll

The main thing setting McCarthy apart from Tomlin and Noll is the fact that he is now onto his third different stint as a head coach in the league, whereas the latter two only ever held that role with the Steelers.

Noll found the most postseason success of that trio, winning a whopping four Super Bowls across his 23 years in Pittsburgh. Tomlin, meanwhile, took home a single Lombardi Trophy in 2008 upon defeating the Arizona Cardinals, while McCarthy's lone championship ring came after taking down the Steelers during his Packers stint in 2010.

Tomlin has the highest regular season winning percentage of the bunch at .628, with McCarthy and Noll trailing behind him at .608 and .566, respectively.

It's been well-documented that Tomlin also never had a losing campaign in his 19 years with the Steelers, tying for the second-longest such streak in NFL history with Bill Belichick. McCarthy and Noll, meanwhile, have four and seven seasons of that variety to their names, respectively.

How Quickly Could McCarthy Pass Tomlin and Noll?

Though the Steelers have plenty of work to do in order to improve their roster this offseason, a vast majority of the team's core that just helped lead them to a 10-7 record and AFC North title is set to return in 2026.

The quarterback position is a huge question mark with Aaron Rodgers set to hit free agency, but it appears that returning to Pittsburgh and reuniting with his former Packers head coach could be in the cards if he decides to keep playing instead of retiring.

That bodes well for McCarthy, in that he's not stepping into a rebuilding situation in Pittsburgh. The 62-year-old has averaged 9.67 wins per seasons throughout his coaching career, meaning that he could officially pass Tomlin and Noll on the all-time wins list in a little over two seasons if he remains at his current pace with the Steelers.

Earning 20 victories any quicker than that is improbable in most situations around the league, but McCarthy would appear to be firmly on track to reach that mark at some point during the duration of his stay in Pittsburgh at the very least.

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