The Steelers hired Mike McCarthy largely because they believed he gave them—and their roster—the best chance of winning. Owner Art Rooney II has made very clear that he has no intention of blowing up the team and starting over. That provides what may be a very major hint about what the Steelers want their roster to look like in 2026.

After all, the Steelers made major roster moves just last year and weren’t looking for sweeping changes this offseason. Mike Tomlin’s resignation caught them off-guard and forced them to pivot. This is still the roster built by Steelers GM Omar Khan and assistant Andy Weidl. Is this, roughly, the one they want to bring into next season?

“He knows how to bring along a veteran team, and we do have a veteran team”, Rooney said of McCarthy, calling him, by consequence, a “good fit” for the Steelers’ roster. They had one of the oldest rosters in the NFL last season, though Aaron Rodgers skewed that.

Absent a brief cameo by Philip Rivers, Rodgers was the oldest player in the NFL last year. Later on, the Steelers got older, adding the NFL’s oldest wide receiver to their roster in Adam Thielen. Thielen has already retired—perhaps temporarily—and Rodgers may do so as well.

But the Steelers still have plenty of old goats on the roster. Cam Heyward will be 37 this year, Chris Boswell 35. T.J. Watt will turn 32 in October, as will Jalen Ramsey. Of course, some think they should trade Watt and release Ramsey.

So does the Steelers hiring Mike McCarthy mean they want to try to keep this roster intact? They went in big—as far as they go—last season, and it didn’t work out. While they’ll have to make some changes, they may not be as radical as some hope.

The first part of the Steelers’ roster evaluation begins with assessing their pending free agents. Aaron Rodgers is the biggest name, but that’s well up in the air. There is Isaac Seumalo and Kenneth Gainwell, Asante Samuel Jr. and Calvin Austin III, Miles Killebrew and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.

Generally, teams opt to “go younger” on their roster when they believe they are not competitive. The Steelers’ owner broadcasting Mike McCarthy’s ability to navigate a veteran roster isn’t nothing. Of course, we won’t know exactly what it is for a while. McCarthy has to put together a coaching staff first, and that will come with evaluations.

This isn’t a one-year deal, though, either. The Steelers have major roster decisions to make in the near future beyond this season, too. Among those playing 2026 on expiring contracts are Heyward, Patrick Queen, Boswell, Broderick Jones, Keeanu Benton, and Joey Porter Jr. How many of them will see extensions on Mike McCarthy’s watch?