Adam Schefter reveals where Mike McCarthy stands in Steelers coaching search after interview

Super Bowl-winning head coach Mike McCarthy has been active in this year’s coaching carousel, interviewing for multiple jobs. That includes the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have spoken with McCarthy and he’s now considered a “strong candidate” for the job.

ESPN insider Adam Schefter shared the latest on Mike McCarthy and the Steelers on Get Up. There, he explained that while McCarthy doesn’t match the traditional archetype for a Pittsburgh head coach, he makes sense for their current needs.

“We have always seen the Pittsburgh Steelers hire young, defensive-minded coaches,” Schefter said. “Yesterday, they had in an older, offensive-minded head coach. Mike McCarthy, who is from Pittsburgh, who would love nothing more than to go back and coach the Pittsburgh Steelers. While he does not fit the profile of any recent head coach that they’ve hired, he does qualify and he does bring certain attributes that would help this organization.”

McCarthy is a Pittsburgh native who has been in coaching since 1987. He got his first crack at being a head coach in 2006 with the Green Bay Packers. There, he won a Super Bowl in 2010. McCarthy stayed there through the 2018 season. Then, he coached the Dallas Cowboys from 2020 through the 2024 season. For his career, McCarthy has a 174-112-2 record overall and an 11-11 playoff record.

“He is in play for the head coaching job. I’m not saying he’s going to get it,” Schefter said. “But he’s definitely a strong candidate.”

Part of why Schefter believes McCarthy is a good fit is the quarterback concern in Pittsburgh. The Steelers aren’t in a position to find their franchise quarterback this offseason, but McCarthy coached their current quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, in Green Bay. So, that connection could make him consider playing another season.

“Here’s the thing with the Pittsburgh Steelers that you have to remember, right now, they’re in something of quarterback purgatory. They’re in a division with Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow, in a year where they don’t have a high draft pick,” Schefter said. “And they’re not drafting one there that they can play. There aren’t a lot of free agent quarterbacks available, not a lot you can trade for. What are you doing? So, if you hired Mike McCarthy, maybe, just maybe, they’ve been open to bringing back Aaron Rodgers. Maybe that enhances the chances that they could have a reunion between Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy.”

The future for Aaron Rodgers is still up in the air. Given his age, even if Rodgers returns, he won’t be the long-term answer at quarterback, but it would buy the Steelers time to figure out the future.