The Pittsburgh Steelers are searching hard for their next head coach. It’s going to be tough to replace Mike Tomlin, but the Steelers have done a good job finding head coaches before. While most of their candidates fit the mold of the Steelers’ past head coaches, Mike McCarthy is a little different. A report indicated that he’s a strong contender for the Pittsburgh job. If the Steelers can’t get a young offensive mind, Ben Roethlisberger thinks the Steelers would be wise to target McCarthy.

“My next choice would be Mike McCarthy,” Roethlisberger said Tuesday on his Footbahlin’ podcast. “Mike McCarthy is an offensive-minded veteran coach, a guy that’s been there, done that. He has Pittsburgh ties, so he understands the Steeler way and what it is to be a Steeler, and understands the Rooney family and how it works. Lot of respect for him…

“The downside to that is how long would he keep coaching for. Would he want to do five, 10, 15 years? I don’t know… The potential positive side to him coming in here would be the potential of Aaron Rodgers coming back… I truly love that pick. I like Mike McCarthy. I think he’s a great coach. I would love to play for him.”

The Steelers’ last three head coaches have all had defensive backgrounds. They were also all relatively young when the Steelers hired them. McCarthy doesn’t have either of those qualities. His roots are on the offensive side of the ball, and he’s 62 years old.

Additionally, McCarthy has been an NFL head coach before. He held that title for the Green Bay Packers from 2006-2018. Then, he was the Dallas Cowboys’ head coach from 2020-2024. He’s had a lot of success in his career, including winning a Super Bowl with the Packers and taking the Cowboys to the playoffs in three of his five seasons there.

However, some fans might not like the idea of McCarthy being the Steelers’ next head coach. It feels like more of the same strategy that the Steelers have employed in recent years. They want to compete for a Super Bowl over everything else, rejecting the idea of a rebuild, even though their roster is aging and their Super Bowl window closed years ago.

Look at the situation that McCarthy would come into. He’s had success at his previous stops, but he’s also had a lot of talent at quarterback. The Steelers don’t have that. 42-year-old Rodgers isn’t going to be the solution, either. It’s not 2010. Pairing McCarthy and Rodgers together isn’t going to instantly build a contender.

Would McCarthy stick around long enough for the Steelers to retool their team and find their next franchise quarterback? That’s uncertain. Yes, he’s a Pittsburgh native, and it would be a fun story to see him coach his hometown team. However, there are several young candidates who might be better positioned to help the Steelers transition into this new era.