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Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are going into the 2026 season without former head coach Mike Tomlin, who stepped down after this past season. While many in Pittsburgh are looking forward to new head coach Mike McCarthy‘s tenure, some are looking back on Tomlin’s run in the Steel City with some frustration.

Despite seeing Tomlin spend nearly two decades as the team’s head coach and guiding them to a .500-or-better record annually, Pittsburgh radio host Mark Madden was not afraid to share his thoughts on Thursday about the way Tomlin handled one aspect of the job. That one aspect was the development of the quarterback position.

The Pittsburgh Steelers Struggled at Quarterback After Ben Roethlisberger

GettyThe Steelers drafted former QB Kenny Pickett in the first round back in 2022.

Here is what Madden had to say via 105.9 The X about the way Tomlin struggled to develop the quarterback position after the legendary Roethlisberger retired:

“If you want to blame somebody for how badly the Steelers have mangled the quarterback situation, it’s Mike Tomlin. Tomlin was the guy who made the call to draft Pickett. That is a fact…It’s about no quarterback ever developed on Tomlin’s watch.”

Madden also referenced how Tomlin hired poor offensive coaches in his tenure, which didn’t help the development of certain quarterbacks. In his 19 seasons as head coach, Tomlin had six different offensive coordinators. Some, like Bruce Arians and Todd Haley, were good and were at one point head coaches. Others, like Matt Canada and Randy Fichtner, weren’t exactly perfect.

But going back to the quarterback position, Roethlisberger ended his storied career at the conclusion of the 2021 season. Since then, the Steelers have gone through Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, and Aaron Rodgers. Although he has played just one season with the team, Rodgers has been the most successful of this bunch. He guided the team to its first division title in five years last season. However, 2026 will be his final season in the league. It will be up to McCarthy to develop the next franchise starter.

Mike McCarthy Is the Right Man For the Job

GettyMike McCarthy won a Super Bowl with Aaron Rodgers in 2011.

There are few quarterback gurus better than McCarthy. After all, he has worked with the likes of Joe Montana, Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Alex Smith, and Dak Prescott. Plus, he was largely responsible for helping to usher in the Aaron Rodgers era in Green Bay after Favre’s Packers tenure came to an end. He knows the position better than almost any coach.

McCarthy is also a coach who gets results. They might not be perfect, but he is another Super Bowl win or a bunch of regular-season wins away from getting a bronze bust in Canton, Ohio. He is 15th all-time in wins as an NFL head coach (185), which is also good for fifth among active head coaches. While his hiring might not have been celebrated by everyone, he is a great offensive coach with a strong track record.