The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially turned the page on the Mike Tomlin era, but the direction they’ve chosen has left much of the fanbase scratching their heads. Mike McCarthy, a seasoned NFL veteran with a Super Bowl ring and over three decades of coaching experience, is set to take the reins in Pittsburgh. But if you were hoping for a fresh, forward-thinking hire like Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula or passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, you weren’t alone-and it turns out they may never have been in serious contention to begin with.
According to NFL insider Adam Schefter, who shared new details on The Pat McAfee Show, the Steelers' head coaching finalists came down to three names: Mike McCarthy, Anthony Weaver, and Brian Flores. All three were brought in for interviews, but the common thread tying them together wasn’t youth or offensive innovation-it was experience and leadership.
Schefter pointed back to team president Art Rooney II’s comments following Tomlin’s departure, where Rooney made it clear the Steelers weren’t looking to rebuild. They have a veteran roster, and in Rooney’s words, they’re “not ready to shut it down.” That mindset shaped the entire search.
And that’s where the disconnect with the fanbase begins.
Many Steelers fans were hoping for a bold swing-a rising offensive mind to breathe new life into a team that’s been stuck in the middle of the AFC pack. But instead of eyeing the next McVay or Shanahan, Pittsburgh went with a familiar face in McCarthy, who brings a résumé full of playoff appearances but also questions about his fit in today’s evolving NFL.
At 62, McCarthy becomes the oldest head coach the Steelers have ever hired-older than Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, or Mike Tomlin were at the time of their exits. That’s not necessarily a deal-breaker, but it does signal a very specific philosophy: Pittsburgh is betting on experience over innovation.
Then there’s Anthony Weaver, a respected defensive coach who’s earned praise for his leadership, but whose track record as a defensive coordinator is mixed. In three seasons leading defenses in Houston and Miami, his units finished in the bottom 10 twice. While the Steelers clearly valued his presence and potential, the results haven’t always backed it up.
Brian Flores, perhaps the most intriguing of the trio, has already had a stint as a head coach with the Dolphins and recently helped turn the Vikings’ defense into a formidable unit. Flores is younger than McCarthy and brings a more modern approach to defensive scheming, but even he doesn’t fully fit the mold of the offensive-minded, up-and-coming coach many fans were hoping for.
What’s become clear is that the Steelers’ front office, led by Rooney and GM Omar Khan, wasn’t looking to roll the dice on unproven potential. And that likely explains why names like Shula and Scheelhaase-both tied to the Rams and unavailable for in-person interviews until later in the postseason-never made it to the final round.
It also sheds light on why the Steelers didn’t make a push for offensive minds like Klint Kubiak or Grant Udinski, two coordinators who’ve drawn praise for their creative play-calling and ability to develop quarterbacks. In a league where offensive ingenuity is becoming more valuable by the year, Pittsburgh zigged where others might have zagged.
The Steelers have always been a franchise that values stability and continuity. They’ve had just three head coaches since 1969, and each one brought a distinct identity to the team.
McCarthy certainly has the pedigree and experience to command a locker room and keep the team competitive in the short term. But whether he’s the right coach to push Pittsburgh into the next era of NFL football remains to be seen.
For now, the message from the top is clear: the Steelers aren’t blowing it up. They believe they can win with the roster they have-and they’ve hired a coach who’s been there before.
But in doing so, they’ve passed on the chance to take a big swing on what’s next. And for a fanbase hungry for change, that’s a tough pill to swallow.