Pittsburgh Steelers fans rage over ‘biggest downgrade in NFL history’ following demands to sack Mike Tomlin

One Mike for another – the Pittsburgh Steelers have found their man.

Mike McCarthy is set to become just the fourth head coach in Steelers franchise history.

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According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero on Saturday, the Steelers are working towards a deal to hire the former Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers head coach as Mike Tomlin‘s successor.

The Steelers were forced to enter the coaching market after Tomlin – the NFL’s longest-tenured head coach – stood down from his position after Pittsburgh’s Wild Card playoff loss to the Houston Texans after 19 years at the helm.

But there is some familiarity with the Steelers for the ‘intriguing’ McCarthy, with the 62-year-old returning back home to his birthplace, having been raised in the Greenfield section of the city.

McCarthy becomes only Pittsburgh’s fourth head coach since 1969, following in the footsteps of Tomlin, Bill Cowher and Chuck Noll.

Each coach has one thing in common – Super Bowl wins.

Noll led the Steelers to four Super Bowl championships in 23 seasons.

Cowher delivered an additional Vince Lombardi Trophy in 15 seasons, and Tomlin brought in the franchise’s sixth – tied for the most in NFL history with the New England Patriots – in his near two-decade tenure.

Owned by the Rooney family, the Steel City outfit have become notorious for organizational stability, and prior to the head coaching vacancy being filled, Art Rooney II insisted that they were not hitting the reset button.

“Whether you call it a rebuild or not, I don’t like that word very much, we’ll try to compete Day 1 if we can,” he said on January 14.

Steelers fans outraged by McCarthy’s appointment

But be careful what you wish for.

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After the Steelers once again exited from the playoffs at the first hurdle, the Black and Gold faithful were calling for Tomlin to be fired – now they might be wishing he hadn’t stepped down.

Steelers fans have been left furious as they are not of the belief that the 62-year-old is much of an upgrade on Tomlin, if one at all, despite him boasting a 174-112-2 record in his 17 seasons as an NFL head coach.

“They just continuously want to stay a mid organization…,” one fan posted to X (formerly Twitter).

“Wait does this mean Mke Tomlin is actually gone because firing him for McCarthy is the biggest downgrade in NFL history honestly what are the Rooneys doing?” a second disgruntled fan wrote.

“The Steelers are gaslighting themselves into thinking they aren’t in a rebuild,” a third user commented.

“Three coaches since nineteen sixty nine and we break the tradition for Mike McCarthy this feels like a fever dream honestly the Steeler way is dead guys,” a fourth added.

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When head coach of the Packers, McCarthy oversaw quarterback Aaron Rodgers win two of his four MVP awards in 2011 and 2014.

Rodgers spent the 2025 season as the Steelers’ signal caller in what was expected to be his final season as a pro.

With McCarthy and Rodgers having also won Super Bowl XLV together in 2011 – against none other than the Steelers – it remains to be seen whether the 42-year-old quarterback would be open to a return to Pittsburgh.

McCarthy’s appointment could well make the future Hall of Famer think twice about retirement and reunite with his former head coach and give it one last chance at bowing out of the NFL with another Super Bowl ring to his name.

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