Steelers head coach hire of Mike McCarthy is great news for Rams, Vikings

The Pittsburgh Steelers have found their new head coach in Mike McCarthy, and the hire is great news for the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings.

On Saturday, the Steelers hired McCarthy to replace Mike Tomlin as head coach, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Tomlin stepped down from his position after Pittsburgh's 2025 campaign ended in a blowout wild-card loss to the Houston Texans.

"Sources: Steelers plan to hire former Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy as their head coach," Schefter reported on X.

With McCarthy now in Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, and Minnesota are major winners.

Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula was considered one of the leading candidates for the Steelers' job, but with Pittsburgh going in a different direction, Los Angeles' chances of keeping Shula for another year have skyrocketed.

Shula couldstill land a head coaching job in this year's cycle, but the chances of that happening have dipped with the Steelers opening off the board.

As for the Vikings, it's now basically confirmed that Brian Flores will return as the team's defensive coordinator in 2026. Flores signed an extension with Minnesota on January 21, but he was still in the running for the Steelers and Baltimore Ravens head coaching jobs.

With Pittsburgh and Baltimore now filling their vacancies, Flores looks to be back as the Vikings' DC next season.