The Pittsburgh Steelers will be moving into a new era, as Mike McCarthy has agreed to terms with the organization to be its head coach for the next five seasons. The idea behind the hiring is that he can help boost the offense and develop a young quarterback for a team that has been desperate for any sort of consistency on that side of the ball with that specific position. If it works, the future could be bright, even if he retired by then. If not, this could become a massive disaster.
Matt Freed / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Former Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin (left) meets with ex-Cowboys head coach, Mike McCarthy (right) after a game.
Steeler Nation has had no problems telling Owner Art Rooney II and others in the organization exactly how they feel about the hiring, as they have bombarded social media with angry comments, to which the X admin tried to deflect and get rid of these hateful comments, but to no avail. There is a ton of outrage in Pittsburgh, and it's definitely not going away anytime soon.
Yall might just want to let this go. No matter how many times you do this the fans are gonna speak their minds.
— Hoobito (@Hoobito97) January 25, 2026
During an exclusive interview with insider Gerry Dulac, Rooney spoke about all the backlash that he and his team have received for hiring McCarthy as opposed to a younger coach that likely has a much higher upside.
"The great thing about sports is everybody has their opinion," Rooney said. "It is what it is. You know, you can't worry about social media. You’ve got to make the best decision you can make. At the end of the day, if we win games, none of that is going to matter."
Rooney is right about that, as the fans are not the ones that run the team. However, that won't stop them from being angry about the decision and making their voices heard until they are proven wrong if that ever happens. He will just have to deal with that and hope that he made the right decision. If he didn't and the angry mob was correct all along, things could go downhill quickly for the organization and his own reputation.
NFL.com
Pittsburgh Steelers Team President and Owner Art Rooney II during a home game at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA.
The hire from the mindset of many fans and some former players is that it's a low-risk low-reward hire, that's designed to keep the Steelers above .500 without making any real progress. There is also the idea that the team continues to live in the past, as they hired someone who's biggest accomplishments came 10-20 years ago without doing much of anything in the past decade with two other teams.
Steelers Have Only One Good Way To Shut The Fans Up
Winning cures everything. Of course, the Steelers usually win 9-10 games in the regular season, so that won't matter. Staying above .500 may quiet the fans down a bit, but the real challenge will come in the playoffs. If they go one-and-done in the postseason again, especially if it's in blowout fashion, Rooney may never hear the end of it. The postseason will truly decide if this was a great or terrible hire for the organization.
ESPN Monday Night Football Broadcast
Former Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin looks on before a home playoff game against the Houston Texans in the 2025 NFL season.
Steelers fans spent a lot of time in 2025 either chanting for Mike Tomlin to be fired or not showing up to games and allowing opposing fans to take over Acrisure Stadium. If a playoff win is achieved, the seats will be full of black and gold jerseys and screaming fans. If not, Rooney might be lucky to even have the angry ones showing up to games, as fatigue and frustration could lead to apathy and empty yellow seats.
What do you think about Rooney addressing the backlash from hiring McCarthy over any other potential candidates? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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