When Mike McCarthy’s name appeared on the Steelers’ press release, Steeler Nation didn’t celebrate the name that was responsible for their 2011 Lombardi loss. For a franchise built on generational coaching tenures, this wasn’t the coronation anyone scripted. But McCarthy has heard it all, and he recently addressed this unhappiness.

“Once the press conference is over, it’s time to do the job. That’s how I’ve always approached this profession,” McCarthy said on ESPN’s podcast. “So that’s where I try to pour all my energy into until I talk to you and you ask me these types of questions.”

Chuck Noll was 37 when Pittsburgh hired him. Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin were each 34. At 62, McCarthy is older than all three when they retired, a stark break from everything Steel City has ever valued in a head coach.

But when ESPN Wisconsin’s Wilde & Tausch hosts pointed out that “some Steelers fans weren’t excited,” McCarthy didn’t flinch.

“I’m just going to go with the dog years mindset and maybe look into some anti-aging supplementation or something, I’m not really worried,” McCarthy continued with a laugh. “I’m loving it, and I got more than enough energy to go as long as the good Lord wants me to.”

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McCarthy grew up in Pittsburgh, so he already has an infallible connection with the franchise. His words suggest that he’s pumped to show us a new version of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the one led by him. 

McCarthy had originally thought that the opportunity to coach Pittsburgh was “well past me,” before owner Art Rooney II and general manager Omar Khan convinced him otherwise. Now he’s channeling every ounce of energy into the work.

“It’s a great opportunity,” added McCarthy. “I’ve prepared for this, and I have great confidence in what we’re doing here, how we’re doing it. Art Rooney and Omar Khan have been awesome, everything I thought there would be. So we’re coming together. We’re forming our partnership, and it’s just like anything.”

Mike McCarthy’s goal in Pittsburgh is pretty straightforward. He just wants the Super Bowl.

“We’re just getting ready to compete,” McCarthy declared. “It’s about winning the world championship and putting the seventh Super Bowl trophy in the case. So that’s what the focus is.”

McCarthy arrives with an expected 12 draft picks, a veteran core, and a franchise hungry to return to contention. For McCarthy & Co., winning will be the only currency that silences all doubt. But while the former Packers coach works to earn that trust, a larger question looms over the building now: who’s going to be the quarterback?

The Aaron Rodgers question

We’re in the 2026 offseason, and the same question that plagued the league all of last offseason is back: Is Aaron Rodgers suiting up for the Steelers in ‘26? The answer isn’t decided yet, and Mike McCarthy isn’t pretending otherwise. Instead, he’s preparing everyone to compete regardless of the depth chart.

“When you put together a playbook, the part about building the offensive system to make the quarterback successful, that’ll never change,” McCarthy noted, before admitting the problem. “But I’m also not naive to the fact that we could be playing with a first-year starter as opposed to a 20-plus-year starter.”

The head coach then went on to talk about what the conversations have been like and how they’ve involved other Steelers quarterbacks (Will Howard and Mason Rudolph) as well.

“We had one (a conversation) this morning on a play action play, and I said, ‘If Aaron’s here, we’ll run it this way, and if it’s Will and the young guys, we’ll run it another way,’” explained McCarthy.

But when asked whether Rodgers will be running it back in black and gold, McCarthy skillfully avoided that question. Instead, he revealed that Rodgers is in his normal offseason routine and there have been “healthy conversations” about his future. McCarthy then dropped an unexpected detail: the 42-year-old has taken up skiing.

“He’s been doing some skiing of late, which I didn’t realize he was into,” McCarthy said. “I don’t want to put out his personal business, but he’s doing what he’s supposed to be doing.”

McCarthy has lived this waiting game before: three seasons of Brett Favre uncertainty with the Green Bay Packers. The head coach is leaning on the same thing that got him through at the time.

McCarthy’s first challenge in Pittsburgh is trust. He must convince a skeptical fanbase conditioned on youth and dynasties that experience can win, too. If Aaron Rodgers returns, that pitch becomes easier. For now, the noise from Steeler Nation is loud, but Mike McCarthy has tuned it all out.