The Pittsburgh Steelers will look considerably different in 2026 than they did in 2025. And that change starts at the top. After Mike Tomlin stepped down, the Steelers broke the mold by hiring an older, offensive coach in Mike McCarthy.
McCarthy didn’t generate a ton of excitement among fans when his hiring was first reported. But he does bring a winning resume and a history of getting the most out of his quarterbacks. With the latter aspect in mind, ESPN’s Chris Canty addressed the latter Tuesday on Unsportsmanlike.
“For the first time in a long time, I’m not worried about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback situation. ‘Cause they have Mike McCarthy,” Canty said. “Mike McCarthy-coached teams have good quarterback play, period.”
Canty’s confidence is nice to hear, but the Steelers still have major uncertainty at the position. Aaron Rodgers is their primary plan, but he didn’t sound close to a decision while speaking on The Pat McAfee Show a couple of weeks ago.
If not Rodgers, there are a couple of directions the Steelers could go. Some have floated Kirk Cousins, or a similar veteran quarterback as the Steelers’ Plan B. They also have Will Howard, about whom the franchise continues to speak glowingly. And in the draft, there are some options, even past the first round.
Mike McCarthy has consistently produced solid offenses with whatever quarterback he has. That’s something that makes the position much less of a worry for Canty, especially compared to the Steelers under Tomlin.
“Mike Tomlin is great at being able to manage a game, and come up with a game plan that his team can be competitive in any situation. That is an uncanny ability, and that is a rare trait to find in a coach,” Canty said. “Mike Tomlin does that really well. What he doesn’t do well, is develop quarterbacks. Mike McCarthy’s on the opposite end of the spectrum. If they bring back Aaron Rodgers, great. But I’m pretty sure there’s a plan in place.”
Canty has a lot of respect for Tomlin and doesn’t mean this as a dig at the latter. But while Tomlin squeaked out plenty of wins during his tenure, a lot of that came with average, or worse, quarterback play.
That’s something McCarthy doesn’t struggle with. Even in 2024, when Dak Prescott missed significant time, McCarthy had Cooper Rush throwing for 1,844 yards and 12 touchdowns on the way to an 83.8 passer rating while winning four of eight games. That same Cooper Rush managed a passer rating of just 48.8 during two starts in Baltimore in 2025.
Point is, Mike McCarthy has shown his offenses can produce with anybody suiting up at quarterback. Canty’s not wrong that it’s much easier to have confidence in the position in Pittsburgh now, even without knowing who the starter will be. However, McCarthy’s also had some losing seasons that Tomlin has simply never had. We’ll see how things shake out, but Canty is confident in at least one aspect of McCarthy’s coaching style.
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