Steelers Complete Interview With Former Aaron Rodgers Head Coach

The Pittsburgh Steelers' search for a new head coach continues to advance after Mike Tomlin stepped down last week following 19 years at the helm.

A day after conducting an in-person interview with Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator and former Steelers assistant Brian Flores, who was with the franchise in 2022, they have now completed an in-person interview with Pittsburgh native Mike McCarthy.

We have completed an in-person interview with Mike McCarthy for our head coach position.

📝: https://t.co/YSVCk01lBJ pic.twitter.com/aDGE2vcNAc
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) January 21, 2026

While there are reasons to be hesitant about what McCarthy brings to the table, he has arguably the most impressive resume of the remaining candidates and appears to have a real shot of filling Pittsburgh's vacancy.

McCarthy's Background

McCarthy's first NFL job came with the Kansas City Chiefs as an offensive quality control coach in 1993.

He then made his way to the Green Bay Packers as their quarterbacks coach in 1999, the same role he held with Kansas City from 1995 to 1998, before being hired by the Saints, where he joined current Steelers general manager Omar Khan and assistant general manager Andy Weidl, as their offensive coordinator ahead of the 2000 campaign.

McCarthy later moved over to the San Francisco 49ers and became their OC in 2005, where he coached Alex Smith as a rookie after he was selected with the No. 1 overall pick.

The Packers brought McCarthy back as their head coach in 2006, and he found a boatload of success with the organization while overseeing the development of Aaron Rodgers. McCarthy won 125 games across 204 games with the Packers and led them to the playoffs on nine occasions, which included a win in Super Bowl XLV over the Steelers in February 2011.

Green Bay fired him in December 2018, however, and he did not coach during the 2019 campaign. McCarthy then resurfaced with the Dallas Cowboys as their head coach ahead of the 2020 season.

After posting a 6-10 record in his first year with the Cowboys, McCarthy went 12-5 for three straight years from 2021 to 2023. He won just a single playoff contest during that span, though, and he was fired after going 7-10 in 2024.

In total, McCarthy has gone 174-112-2 over his 18 years as an NFL head coach.

Coach Mike McCarthy talks with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) during a second half break during the Green Bay Packers 31-23 loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field, Detroit, Sunday, October 7, 2018. Rick Wood/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. USA Packlions 33ofx Wood | RIck Wood, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Rodgers Factor

The Steelers are in the market for a quarterback this offseason for the third one in a row now that Rodgers is set to reach free agency.

The 42-year-old may very well decide to retire after leading Pittsburgh to its first division title since 2020 and throwing for 3,322 yards to go with 24 touchdowns, but there's also a distinct chance that he'll give it another go in 2026.

Steelers owner Art Rooney II recently stated that "Aaron came here for Mike" and that Tomlin leaving the team "will affect" the four-time MVP's decision, but if McCarthy were to be hired, Rodgers could theoretically consider reuniting with his former head coach in Pittsburgh.

The process is far from over at this point, but McCarthy is a name to watch alongside the likes of Flores, Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula and Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, who will reportedly interview in-person with the team this week as well.

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