The Pittsburgh Steelers made a lot of fans upset when the franchise announced that it would be hiring Mike McCarthy as its next head coach. The news took a while to sink in for some fans, but eventually people decided to buy in to the new coach as he as plenty of experience and knows how to put together a coaching staff. He is also an offensive coach, which is something that is new to Pittsburgh.
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Steelers' Mike McCarthy goes through a photoshoot prior to his introductory press conference at the start of the 2026 offseason.
McCarthy has already made some big moves as he has decided on his defensive coordinator and hired Patrick Graham, and he has also added some more names to his defensive staff. Jason Simmons was also interviewed for the defensive coordinator role, but he will still be added to the staff in some sort of prominent role.
Washington assistant Jason Simmons, who interviewed for the Steelers DC job, is expected to join the staff in a prominent defensive role, per sources. This would be a reunion for Simmons, Patrick Graham and Mike McCarthy from Green Bay.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 29, 2026
Simmons last served as the defensive pass game coordinator for the Washington Commanders during the 2024 season. He had gotten some defensive coordinator looks, but he was not hired anywhere else. He has a special connection to Pittsburgh as he played for the Steelers from 1998 through 2001, and it was the place he was drafted to.
Scott Boehm / AP
Former Green Bay Packers assistant coach Jason Simmons coaching up his team during an away game.
Simmons has ties to Pittsburgh as the organization drafted him in the fifth round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played consistently at safety for the Steelers, but he never started a game. In all he recorded 72 tackles over four seasons with Pittsburgh, but he was not brought back after his rookie contract expired. He signed with the Houston Texans and finished his career by playing six seasons in Texas.
Coming back to his former team is probably enticing, but as is reuniting with McCarthy. McCarthy was the head coach that gave Simmons his start in this business as a defensive assistant and secondary coach for the 2011 season in Green Bay. Simmons held that role for five seasons before moving on and becoming the assistant special teams coach. He even was retained on the staff by Matt LaFleur after McCarthy was fired by the Packers.
Simmons went from Green Bay to the Las Vegas Raiders. He was the defensive pass game coordinator and the defensive backs coach on Graham's staff for two seasons before going to Washington, so that is another level of familiarity for Simmons in joining the Steelers. It is unclear what role Simmons will hold for Pittsburgh, but his history of working with secondaries and serving as a defensive pass game coordinator should suggest he'd be doing something similar for the Steelers.
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New Steelers Head Coach Mike McCarthy on the sideline at Lambeau field in Green Bay, Wisconsin as he looks up at the replay board during his head-coaching tenure with the Green Bay Packers.
Steelers' Defense Should Improve In 2026
Pittsburgh's defense has under-performed over the last several seasons despite being one of the highest paid units in the league during that time. A lot of that was blamed on the coaching staff and the schematics Pittsburgh deployed, and the 2026 season is going to be able to show fans whether or not that is the case. If this new staff can come in and immediately turn the group into a top defense, it won't be a good look for the guys that were on the staff in 2025.
What do you think about McCarthy bringing in Simmons? Let us know in the comments below!
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