Mike McCarthy is 62 and brings more than 18 years of NFL head coaching experience to Pittsburgh. For a franchise that hadn’t hired a veteran coach in over 50 years, the Steelers’ decision was nothing short of unorthodox. After McCarthy’s exit from Dallas following a disappointing 2024 season, many fans and experts assumed his coaching career was almost over. Instead, the veteran flipped the script with forward-looking remarks at his introductory press conference. It appears his love for the game is still intact.

“I love coaching. I think the biggest thing is the interaction every day with the players, the coaches, the support group, and to line up every single day and work and do hard stuff with people that are committed,” McCarthy said this week.

“I’ve had a chance to step away and look at other things, (but) there’s nothing like the National Football League to do at the highest level. It’s something that I’m not ready to walk away from, and to have this opportunity just seemed like it was meant to be on so many different levels,” he added, quashing all the previous retirement rumors.

McCarthy’s hiring wasn’t without criticism. His 112 losses as head coach and downward trajectory at the Cowboys worried fans. But that debate can wait. It’s a new beginning, and he has enough success under his belt to carry forward an already developed team.

McCarthy kickstarted his head coaching journey with the Green Bay Packers in 2006 and led the team for 13 years before getting fired in 2018. During this tenure, he also won Super Bowl XLV playing against his hometown team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. After taking a break for over a year, he returned with a new gig with the Dallas Cowboys and coached the team for five seasons.

When Dallas let him go following the 2024 season, it felt like his career might be winding down. But it wasn’t. McCarthy couldn’t stay away, largely because coaching at the highest level still pulls him in.

That pull aligned perfectly when Mike Tomlin stepped down after a 19-year run as the Steelers’ head coach. For the first time since 2007, Pittsburgh was now searching for a new leader. And rather than sticking to their long-standing tradition of hiring young coordinators in their 30s, the Steelers pivoted, choosing a veteran presence to fill the void.

“You know we came into this wanting to hire the best coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. We did not say we’re trying to hire a young defensive coordinator or an offensive guy,” Steelers president Art Rooney II said this week. “We had an open mind about it, I think, and really just like I said wanted to make sure we found the best coach, and we were able to interview some great coaches.”

For McCarthy, this third chapter carries real extra weight. This time he’s back in his hometown wearing the same black and gold colors he rocked back in the day as a kid “driving home from Mercy Hospital.” He relished those moments while speaking to the reporters this week and confirmed he was eager for quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ decision.

Mike McCarthy wants a reunion with Aaron Rodgers

Former coach Mike Tomlin brought in A-Rod last season to run his offense. Now, a year later, they’ve added Mike McCarthy to lead the franchise in 2026. And with that move, an obvious question has taken center stage: Will Rodgers play one more season in Pittsburgh under his former head coach? McCarthy has made his stance clear.

“Definitely. I don’t know why you wouldn’t,” McCarthy said when asked if he wants Rodgers back in the 2026 season.

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The Steelers are slowly recreating a familiar puzzle from 20 years ago at Green Bay. The Packers drafted Rodgers in 2005. One year later, McCarthy replaced Mike Sherman as Green Bay’s head coach. From 2006 to 2018, the two built a Super Bowl-winning team, with McCarthy helping Rodgers establish himself as the franchise quarterback and earn two MVP awards. Fast forward to now, both have landed in Pittsburgh and are in a similar situation.

While Rodgers has previously suggested that the 2025 season could be his last, an official decision still hasn’t come.

On the field, the 42-year-old passer showed he can still play. Rodgers completed nearly 66% of his passes for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions across 16 games, finishing with a 94.8 passer rating. McCarthy would clearly like to begin his Steelers tenure with that version of Rodgers under center. Whether Rodgers feels the same way, though, remains very much up in the air.