The legendary Chuck Noll won the Steelers their first four Super Bowls. Then Bill Cowher came along and won another. Mike Tomlin took over after him and quickly added a ring of his own. Now that Mike McCarthy’s in town, former Steeler Merril Hoge thinks he could be Pittsburgh’s fourth consecutive head coach to win a Super Bowl.
“I think all the things that are being implemented and planted are just fundamental, foundational pillars that are going to develop, they’re gonna bring the seventh Super Bowl to the Steelers, eventually. Is it this year? Probably not. What they’re doing, it’s in the right direction. It was the things that are needed, it’s a different energy, a better energy that was needed,” Hoge said Friday on the Straight Facts Homie! podcast. “And McCarthy has brought that.”
The Steelers certainly needed a boost this offseason. Mike Tomlin stepped down after yet another 10-7 season with a first-round playoff exit, and Pittsburgh had plenty of different directions to go in when looking for the next head coach.
That direction ended up being McCarthy, whom many weren’t especially happy with at first. But so far, during his short time in Pittsburgh, McCarthy has started to win some people over, including Hoge. But has he really done enough that the Steelers could be considered Super Bowl contenders in the near future?
The roster has some talent. On the offensive line, the Steelers have a few young cornerstones. Both receiver and running back have extra depth after the moves made this offseason. Defensively, the Steelers restocked their secondary, doing so on a budget with Jamel Dean and Jaquan Brisker.
But there is one ingredient they’re missing – a quarterback. Aaron Rodgers can still play solid football, but the current roster won’t be enough to carry him to a Super Bowl. Until Pittsburgh finds a true franchise quarterback, its Super Bowl dreams probably won’t be realized.
McCarthy is making an effort to find one, though. Will Howard remains in the building, and third-round pick Drew Allar is beaming with potential. It would take some great strides for either to develop that far, but there is more potential in the room than the Steelers have had in quite some time. There’s also the draft, with the 2027 class looking very talented, though the Steelers might have to make some moves to pick high enough to land one of the top candidates.
The Steelers’ roster is in an interesting place. There’s a nice mix of veteran talent and young potential. Still, the Steelers will need their own franchise quarterback for all that to come together into a Super Bowl-contending team. But Hoge doesn’t think Pittsburgh is far off the mark.