Steelers Now
Not everyone is against the Pittsburgh Steelers’ hiring of head coach Mike McCarthy.
The Pittsburgh Steelers decision to hire Mike McCarthy has not been well received by the fanbase, but not everyone thinks it is such a bad hire.
In fact, former NFL linebacker and FS1 analyst Emmanuel Acho thinks the Steelers now have the best head coach in the AFC North.
“To me, this is an adequate replacement. A coach that can come in, win 11 games, win 12 games, be competitive. The Browns are still going to be laughable. The Bengals are tethered to Joe Burrow staying healthy, and the Ravens, well who knows what Jesse Minter’s gonna do,” Acho said on Speakeasy. “If we’re being honest, let me go ahead and say it right now. The Steelers have the best coach in the division.”
"The Steelers have the best coach in the division"
– @EmmanuelAcho weighs in on the Pittsburgh Steelers recent hiring of Mike McCarthy
WE ARE STILL LIVE DISCUSSING EAGLES COACHING STAFF FUTURE ➡️ https://t.co/f4H3dQB55c pic.twitter.com/xxSE9992zz
— Speakeasy (@speakeasytlkshw) January 26, 2026
Acho certainly makes some good points. The Browns are still searching for their replacement for Kevin Stefanski, the Ravens have a first-time head coach in Minter and the Bengals have continued to disappoint, despite having one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
That’s not to say those woes will continue. Cleveland could finally find a head coach that helps the franchise turn things around. Baltimore could have something special in Minter, and Burrow could finally stay healthy to lift Cincinnati to a playoff run.
However, McCarthy has been a proven winner throughout his NFL coaching career with a 174-112-2 career record and .608 winning percentage.
Acho believes that is why Pittsburgh opted to go with the 62-year-old instead of a first-time head coach like the Ravens.
“The reason I like the hire is because you can’t go from Bill Cowher to Mike Tomlin to some random, little, unproven nobody that might lose,” Acho continued. “Mike McCarthy has an incredibly, incredibly, incredibly high floor. I don’t think he has the highest ceiling in the world, but he has a very high floor.”
Only time will tell if it will work out, but McCarthy is somewhat breaking the mold in terms of Steelers head coaches. He will be the team’s first head coach with an offensive background since Bill Austin, who coached from 1966-68, and the first Steelers head coach with previous NFL head coaching experience since Buddy Parker, who coached the Steelers from 1957-64.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Analyst Claims Steelers Have Best Coach in AFC North
