The Pittsburgh Steelers found their head coach. The fan reaction has been negative. The player reaction? Almost invisible. Beat writer Brooke Pryor is wondering if a collective non-answer is speaking volumes.
“I also think it’s important to note that I’ve not seen a lot of celebratory posts from players on the Steelers roster currently,” she said on SportsCenter Monday afternoon. “It’s been kind of quiet. Maybe something, maybe nothing. Kind of feels like there could be something there.”
The reaction from players has been mild. A handful of players, largely backups like WR Ben Skowronek, merely shared the team’s social media posts of the McCarthy hire. Faces of the roster like DL Cam Heyward, EDGE T.J. Watt, or WR DK Metcalf have not made public comments.
Even quarterbacks like Mason Rudolph and Will Howard, whom McCarthy is known for teaching, haven’t said anything. The majority of reactions have come from former players who have largely panned the decision.
In fairness, players like Watt and Metcalf aren’t typically active on social media. Heyward could soon release another episode of his podcast where he’ll surely offer his thoughts, though a yet-to-be-hired defensive coordinator will be equally impactful on the outlook. Those players are still digesting Tomlin’s departure, which they internally compared to a funeral.
While it’s the offseason and many players may unplug to reset after a long season, Pryor’s point has merit. An at-best milquetoast reaction from the fanbase might be shared by the players, wondering if McCarthy is the guy to get the team over the hump. Pittsburgh has won zero playoff games since 2017. Over the same span, McCarthy has just one victory.
But McCarthy isn’t a stranger to needing to win over a room. This will be his third time as a head coach. His experience will help him navigate the roster, especially one that could include several veterans to open 2026.
An even more established and veteran group met Mike Tomlin’s hire with similar skepticism. Those questions intensified during a difficult and intense 2007 training camp that burned players out by season’s end. But he soon won the group over. McCarthy, no matter the initial reception, will have the chance to do the same.