It would just be more “Mediocre Mike.”
Except it would be a different Mike.
That’s been the most common reaction to the notion of the Steelers hiring Mike McCarthy as the successor to former head coach Mike Tomlin.
It’s hard to argue with that characterization. Since McCarthy’s Green Bay Packers beat Tomlin’s Steelers in Super Bowl XLV, his resume is similar to the one held by Tomlin, which eventually drove most Steelers fans insane.
In the 13 seasons he coached since then, McCarthy made the playoffs nine times (winning seven division titles) with the Packers and Dallas Cowboys. However, eight of those 13 seasons ended without any playoff wins.
McCarthy’s overall playoff record is 11-11, better than Tomlin’s (8-12). Of course, McCarthy worked with Dak Prescott at quarterback in Dallas after having Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre in Green Bay. An aging Rodgers in 2025 is the best QB Tomlin has had since Ben Roethlisberger’s elbow injury in 2019.
Let’s avoid adjudicating the comps between Mike and Mike any further, though. I feel like we’ve been doing it for more than a decade, and we’ll be doing it for years to come if McCarthy does get the job in the wake of his interview with the franchise’s front office on Wednesday.
The lukewarm reaction in town to a Pittsburgh native with a Super Bowl ring and a .608 winning percentage taking over the Steelers has been clear. One reason for that has been the presumption that if McCarthy gets the job, Rodgers will stay on as the Steelers quarterback despite their occasionally rocky relationship in the past.
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With the way Rodgers performed down the stretch of ‘25 against Cleveland, in the first half against Baltimore and in the playoff game against Houston, that’s not promising.
Admittedly, that’s a bit shortsighted. To whatever extent Rodgers has something left in the tank, he should be better in McCarthy’s offense than he was in Arthur Smith’s. And perhaps the next phase of the Steelers offense will be better if they finally figure out how to acquire a second wide receiver of impact and how to better use Pat Freiermuth.
The bigger talking point, however, is simply hoping the Steelers genuinely turn the page. It appears that most Steelers fans prefer that the franchise avoid doing so halfway.
This is the first coaching change in 19 years. Don’t minimize that impact by trying to squeeze one more ounce of blood from a 42-year-old stone at quarterback.
I agree with that sentiment.
Acknowledging that, I’d still like to examine a hypothetical regarding McCarthy. For the sake of argument, let’s consider a world where McCarthy is here, and Rodgers isn’t.
Those two have been talked about as a package deal since McCarthy’s name was tossed in the mix. I’m not sure if we ever properly thought about what things might look like if McCarthy becomes the coach, but Rodgers is actually retired or playing elsewhere.
McCarthy appears to be a good offensive mind. He’s good with quarterbacks. Maybe he can make the most out of Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, Malik Willis or “QB Draft Choice X” in April.
Admittedly, none of those prospects are even within shouting distance of Prescott, a young Rodgers or even an aging Favre.
But do we have any reason to believe any of those options will do better under Brian Flores, Anthony Weaver, Chris Shula or any of the other defensive coordinator candidates we’ve seen tossed around?
Sure, one of those guys could hire a really good offensive coordinator to make that happen. Then again, so could McCarthy as an heir apparent.
He might also hire a really good defensive staff like the one he assembled for the 2010 Super Bowl run that was loaded with ex-Steelers such as Dom Capers, Kevin Greene and Darren Perry.
Plus, we all know Art Rooney II’s true goal with this coaching hire, don’t we?
While he’d like to hit another organizational home run at the position — as was the case with the selections of Tomlin, Bill Cowher and Chuck Noll dating back to 1969 — his larger hope is to simply maintain the playoff-qualifying level of competitiveness the team has “enjoyed” since 2004.
McCarthy could bring that, while (at 62 years old) providing a framework for potential lieutenants on his coaching staff to take it to a higher level once he retires and once a real quarterback prospect walks through the doors on the South Side once more.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not endorsing McCarthy as the hire. I prefer Jesse Minter or a Kubiak.
Any Kubiak. Klay. Klint. Doesn’t matter. Does Gary have anything left in his throwing arm? Maybe he can be the QB.
I’m just trying to think as Rooney might. And if he really is considering McCarthy for reasons other than regional sentimentality, I’m trying to see the forest through the trees.
If the complexities of retaining Rodgers are subtracted from the equation, the view is a lot less obscured.