Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy during his introductory press conference on Jan. 27, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
When the Pittsburgh Steelers hired new head coach Mike McCarthy, it was a big change with the way the team had done business, with the franchise’s previous three coaches all being young defensive coordinators.
That’s one of the reasons that the hiring of McCarthy was such a shock to many in the Steelers fanbase, and McCarthy said on Friday that it was a surprise to himself, as well.
McCarthy, in an appearance on Wilde & Tausch of ESPN Radio in Wisconsin, admitted that he thought that at 62 years old, his chance of ever becoming the head coach of his hometown Steelers had come and gone.
McCarthy took the 2025 season off after his contract was not renewed by the Dallas Cowboys at the end of the 2024 campaign. He interviewed for two other positions this offseason, but when the Steelers job surprisingly opened — and he was in consideration — that became his whole focus.
“I just wanted to look at every opportunity and would have been very content staying right where I was,” McCarthy said. “To grow up here in Pittsburgh and think you’re going to be the head coach of the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys — I didn’t dream of that. But now, this opportunity, just seemed like it was something that I was had to do or was meant to be.
“I never, in my wildest dreams, thought that Mike Tomlin would retire. This was an opportunity, based on history, that I thought was well past me. So when it did become available and the conversations that led up the interview, I just felt that this was something that was meant to be.”
Asked about his age in his introductory press conference, McCarthy joked that they’re going to “shift to dog years,” but he dismissed concerns about his age when it comes to his ability to continue to win games at a high level.
“I’m just gonna go with the dog years mindset and maybe go with some kind of anti-aging supplementation,” he said. I’m loving it and trust me, I’ve got more than enough energy to go as long as the good lord wants me to.”
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