Steelers Owner Responds to Fan Criticism Over Mike McCarthy

PITTSBURGH — Many Pittsburgh Steelers fans were none too pleased at the news of the franchise hiring Mike McCarthy as their fourth head coach in nearly six decades.

Steelers' owner and team president Art Rooney II spoke about what went into the decision to hire McCarthy and addressed fans' concerns with the hire.

"We're really not worried about winning the initial press conference. It's about picking the coach we believe will help us win games," Rooney said in a release, "And social media really doesn't enter into it. And none of that will matter once we're starting to play games."

"The message for our fans is we're very excited. We think we have a coach who is well-equipped to lead us into the next winning phase of Steelers football, and that's what it's all about. I think they're going to love Coach Mike."

Rooney's Decision to Hire McCarthy

Dec 15, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy during the first quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

According to the team's release, the hiring process began with Zoom calls and moved to in-person interviews with candidates whose current teams were not involved in the playoffs, in accordance with league rules—i.e., no Chris Shula.

The Steelers brought in three candidates for in-person interviews, which were McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, Rooney said.

"[McCarthy] is someone who has a longer track record than many of the other candidates, a winning track record," said Rooney. "He's been a winner everywhere he's been. Probably just as important for our purposes, the quarterbacks that he's worked with have all been very successful. So he has a proven track record of developing top flight quarterbacks. Those are the things that maybe stick out the most."

It was also noted that the reason for McCarthy's hiring was not because he grew up in the Pittsburgh area, or that he had a previous relationship with Aaron Rodgers or that it was solely based on his history of developing quarterbacks, but rather, "the belief that he was the right man for this job in today's NFL."

Jan 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) throws during the first half of an AFC Wild Card Round game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

"We decided to bring Mike on because we believe that he's the right coach for us at this point to help lead us to a championship," Rooney said. "We don't know what Aaron's plans are right now, and that did not weigh heavily in the decision. We'll see where Aaron is, and we've left the door open, but obviously we all have to sit down and see if that makes sense. So that'll happen sometime in the next month or so. But the decision was made based on Mike being the coach we want, and it really had very little to do with whether Aaron is going to be back or not."

Rooney added that he was searching for a coach who was going to "lead the team to win a championship" and devlop and young quarterback because "sooner or later we're going to be working with a young quarterback here."

"Mike's ability to develop the next quarterback is something that certainly is important to us," he said.

Rooney continued by saying that McCarthy likes sixth-round rookie quarterback Will Howard and thinks that Howard has great upside.

Dec 28, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard (18) warms up before the game against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

"Obviously feels like Mason [Rudolph] can be a contributor. We'll have to sit down and discuss where Aaron is, if he decides to come back, and whether that all makes sense," Rooney said. "I think Mike was very comfortable with the quarterback room and the possibilities with the quarterback room. In particular, the fact we have a young quarterback on the roster in whom he sees some upside."

McCarthy was officially hired as the Steelers' head coach on Jan. 24 and became the franchise's fourth head coach since 1969. Rooney stated that McCarthy is currently in the process of building a coaching staff, but has run into a few snags since a few of McCarthy's targets are currently on other coaching staffs.

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