PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II broke the tradition of hiring a young defensive coordinator to be the next head coach of the Steelers, opting to go with the 62-year-old Greenfield native Mike McCarthy , who is an offensive minded coach with a long history of developing quarterbacks.
"We came into this wanting to hire the best coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers," Rooney said during McCarthy 's introductory press conference on Tuesday. "So, we did not say, we're trying to hire a young defensive coordinator, or an offensive guy. We had an open mind about it, I think, and really just, like I said, wanted make sure we found the best coach. And we were able to interview some great coaches. So, I won't say it was an easy decision, but I would say at the end of the day, it was an obvious decision for us that Mike was the guy for the job."
General manager Omar Khan, who worked with McCarthy in New Orleans for one season in 2000, echoed Rooney's statement.
"Really an awesome group of candidates," Khan said. "I think Mike's resume speaks for itself. I learned a lot through the process, but we're excited Mike McCarthy is the head coach."
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy during his introductory press conference on Jan. 27, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Social media reactions were largely negative after the news broke on Saturday that McCarthy will be the Steelers' next head coach. Several former Steelers players were not happy with the decision. The fanbase and media were also rather pessimistic, hoping for a younger hire. McCarthy is 62.
Rooney is not concerned about the outside noise, however. He thinks McCarthy is the right coach to lead the team into a new era of Steelers football.
"We're really not worried about winning the initial press conference. It's about picking the coach we believe will help us win games," Rooney said, via Bob Labriola of Steelers.com on Sunday. "And social media really doesn't enter into it. And none of that will matter once we're starting to play games.
"The message for our fans is we're very excited. 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."
McCarthy certainly turned heads during his opening statement as the team's new head coach. Emotionally displaying how much he cares about Pittsburgh and the Steelers organization. The results will have to come on the field, but Steelers fans might now have a different opinion on McCarthy .
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Art Rooney II Defends Mike McCarthy Hire: 'Obvious Decision'
Related Headlines
