After a rejuvenating year with family, Mike McCarthy embraces the NFL's relentless demands, thrilled to return to the sideline as Pittsburgh's coach.
The life of an NFL head coach has become a 24/7/365 existence, except for a short break between the end of OTAs and the beginning of training camp.
So, new Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike McCarthy wasn’t too upset when he failed to land a job after being fired by the Dallas Cowboys following the 2024 season. In fact, he relished not having his life dictated by football and instead focused on family time and analyzing trends around the NFL.
“Well, the year off was awesome,” McCarthy said Tuesday during his introductory news conference. “I spent a lot of time with the family through the spring volleyball games, all that stuff. I had a great year. It was just a very fulfilling year. Frankly, it went too fast, because really, once training camp hits, we all have that clock.”
McCarthy is back on the football clock after being hired to replace Mike Tomlin, who wanted off the clock and resigned after 19 seasons. McCarthy fully understands the time commitment the job requires, having spent 13 seasons in the role with the Green Bay Packers (2006-18) and five with the Cowboys (2020-24).
And the 62-year-old McCarthy is ecstatic to get back to the grind, especially as a Pittsburgh native coaching the hometown Steelers.
"I love coaching," McCarthy said. "I think the biggest thing is the interaction every day with the players, the coaches, the support group, the lineup every single day and the work and to do hard stuff with people that are committed. I mean, there's nothing like it. I've had a chance to step away and look at other things. There's nothing like the National Football League. And to do it at the highest level, it's something that I'm not ready to walk away from.
"And to have this opportunity, it just seemed like it was meant to be on so many different levels. Sundays are incredible. Tuesdays, game plan days, are still one of my favorite days. There's so many little things about the coaching profession I love. But the fact getting up every day, grabbing that cup of coffee, and hitting it, getting it, and it's all about winning. I'm just fortunate that I had the opportunity to do it again."
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