PITTSBURGH — Mike McCarthy is officially the 17th head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers — and only the team’s fourth since 1969.
The Steelers posted photos of McCarthy, a 62-year-old Pittsburgh native with 18 years of NFL head coaching experience, signing his contract with the team on social media on Tuesday afternoon. The team had reached a verbal agreement with him on Saturday.
In his first official statement via the team’s website, McCarthy expressed gratitude for the Steelers trusting him to represent “one of the most storied franchises in all of sports.”
“Oftentimes, coaches and players put on new team colors, and it takes a minute to feel comfortable in them. But, if you are blessed beyond measure, one day you put on the colors you’ve worn since you were brought home from Mercy Hospital,” his statement said in part. “This city, this franchise and this fan base mean the world to me – because Pittsburgh is my world."
McCarthy also thanked two friends, and Steelers greats, former head coaches Mike Tomlin and Bill Cowher.
“They represented this organization with such class and I’m honored – honored – to follow them. They left the proverbial cupboard full," his statement said.
Soon after McCarthy and the organization put pen to paper, he, Steelers President Art Rooney II and GM Omar Khan sat down for his introductory press conference. A group of current and former Steelers were in the front row, including Alex Highsmith, Ryan Shazier, Mel Blount, Joey Porter and Joey Porter Jr. Nearly 20 members of his family and friends were in the crowd, too.
The homecoming was obviously emotional for McCarthy.
“I thought I’d at least be able to get started,” he said through tears at the very beginning of the press conference.
McCarthy is returning to coaching after taking a year break that began when he was fired from the Cowboys.
“There’s nothing like the National Football League to do this at the highest level,” he said. “You know, it’s, it is something that, you know, I’m not ready to walk away from and have this opportunity. You know, it’s just seemed like it was meant to be, you know, in so many different levels.”
He said returning home has been a whirlwind 72 hours.
“The two words that jump to the front are overwhelming and surreal,” he said. “I’ve received probably twice as many, at least, text messages and calls than I think, when we won the Super Bowl.”
But he got to talking about the team and his plans quickly. McCarthy said he will run the offense and call the plays. He also indicated he would want to bring back Aaron Rodgers, whom he coached for 13 years in Green Bay.
“I don’t see why you wouldn’t,” he said. “I watched most of the Pittsburgh games on TV, and I thought he was a great asset for the team.”
McCarthy admitted he hasn’t spoken to Rodgers, who is currently a free agent, about the possibility of him playing another year.
Regardless of Rodgers’ decision, McCarthy will almost certainly have a hand in drafting and developing the team’s next young quarterback in the next few years.
In the meantime, McCarthy said he’s excited to get to work with the quarterbacks currently on the Steelers’ roster, including Will Howard, who missed his rookie season with a hand injury.
“I’m excited to get the ball rolling with this,” he said. “I’m excited about Will Howard. I think he’s someone that I thought it really came on there at Ohio State, you know, I’m anxious to work with him. So, I mean, it’d be great to have him here back... with me and Mason, you know, I’m really, I’m really, really excited to get started with those guys.”
McCarthy feels positively about the Steelers’ roster and wants to focus on the players under contract as a core to work with in creating the team for next season.
McCarthy’s overall goal is singular: bring the 7th Super Bowl trophy to the city of Pittsburgh.
“It’s about winning championships, it’s not about getting to the playoffs and winning one game, it’s about bringing the trophy home,” he said. “And that’s always the goal, we all have the same amount of time to train the team. The players have the same amount of time to put into it when we’re able to work as a team - where are you spending that time? That’s my approach to how I’d tackle the playoffs.”
He also talked about his coaching philosophy with Channel 11.
“I think respect goes a long way, and I think it always starts with the locker room, because that locker room is a family,” he said. “Those men are making the sacrifices. Those guys are performers, and when they cross the white lines, we got to feel that we’ve given them everything to be successful.”
In his 18 seasons so far, McCarthy has a 174-112-2 record and a .608 winning percentage. He had just five losing seasons out of 18 and an 11-11 playoff record. He has the fourth-most wins among active NFL coaches and the 15th-most in NFL history.
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