Steelers owner sends message to frustrated fans regarding Mike McCarthy hire originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ decision to hire Mike McCarthy as Mike Tomlin’s successor hasn’t been especially well-received by the fans base.
After a decade without a playoff win, patience has grown thin in Pittsburgh, and fans aren’t sold that McCarthy will be the man to turn things around for the Steelers. Perhaps some still hold a grudge against McCarthy for beating the Steelers as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV.
Art Rooney, Steelers 'excited' about Mike McCarthy hire
The negative feedback to the hire reached Steelers owner Art Rooney II, who shared a message for frustrated fans, encouraging them to be as excited as the organization is about the hire.
"The message for our fans is: We're very excited,” Rooney said. “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.
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"We're really not worried about winning the initial press conference," he added. "It's about picking the coach we believe will help us win games, and social media really doesn't enter into it. And none of that will matter once we're starting to play games."
While providing some insight into the decision to hire McCarthy, Rooney pointed to a proven track record of winning as well as McCarthy’s ability to develop and improve quarterbacks.
"He is someone who has a longer track record than many of the other candidates, a winning track record,” Rooney said of McCarthy. “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."
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Speaking of quarterbacks, McCarthy has a previous relationship with Aaron Rodgers, who was Pittsburgh’s starter in 2025. Rodgers and McCarthy experienced some serious success together in Green Bay, as Rodgers was the team’s starting QB when they bested the Steelers in that Super Bowl.
The Steelers would reportedly be open to Rodgers returning in 2026, but the 42-year old has yet to make a decision regarding his future. Rooney insists that Rodgers’ relationship with McCarthy didn’t play heavily into Pittsburgh’s decision.
"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," Rooney said.
"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."
It remains to be seen how McCarthy will fare in Pittsburgh. But for all the Steelers fans who wanted Tomlin fired and are now unhappy with the new guy in his chair, there’s probably a lesson to be learned: The grass isn’t always greener.
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