Former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy continues to add to what could end up being a Pro Football Hall of Fame resume. With a regular season record of 172-112-2, he already ranks 15th all time in wins by a head coach in league history, and he has led two of the NFL’s most storied franchises, the Packers and Dallas Cowboys.
Now, he is getting the chance to lead another historic organization, having been named the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy named the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers
After his contract expired in Dallas, McCarthy took the 2025 NFL season off from coaching. His plan, though, was to return to the sideline in 2026. And after long-time Steelers coach Mike Tomlin stepped down after 19 seasons, it became clear what job the former Packers coach would want.
McCarthy, a Pittsburgh native, cancelled all other interviews and rejected all other inquiries from every NFL team searching for a head coach, focusing solely on landing the Steelers job.
And he did:
Sources: Steelers plan to hire former Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy as their head coach. pic.twitter.com/lsaFyBVUjp
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 24, 2026
What is also significant about this hiring is that it opens the door for Aaron Rodgers to return to Pittsburgh as well. After Tomlin stepped down, the assumption was that Rodgers would not return either in 2026, that is, if he wants to play in the NFL at all.
However, following the 2024 season, Rodgers, then with the Jets, said that “anywhere Mike McCarthy lands” would be a destination that he would say is a possibility for him as well.
And now that McCarthy is in Pittsburgh, the chance that Rodgers returns to the Steelers increases.
That is, of course, if he wants to play in the NFL at all.
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