The Pittsburgh Steelers are in for plenty of changes during the 2026 offseason. It all started with Mike Tomlin stepping down as head coach after 19 seasons. Pittsburgh eventually replaced him with Mike McCarthy, a candidate with plenty of head coaching experience. Now one candidate has emerged as a possible candidate for one of the team's coordinator roles.
Former Giants and Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has been named as a possible candidate for the Steelers' DC job, per reporter Art Stapleton.
Graham coached under McCarthy during their time with the Packers. He was most recently the defensive coordinator for the Raiders in 2025.
The pair could be in for a reunion in Pittsburgh.
Recreating the magic from Green Bay could be a theme during the offseason now that McCarthy is in charge.
The other obvious name in the equation is QB Aaron Rodgers.
It is unclear whether the 42-year-old quarterback will return to the NFL in 2026. Once Tomlin stepped down, the general belief was that Rodgers may not want to return to Pittsburgh at all.
However, the McCarthy hire is rumored to have opened the door to the possibility of Rodgers returning.
“While Art Rooney originally said he believed Aaron Rodgers would not play again for the Steelers, this does open the door for a return,” NFL Network's Ian Rapoport wrote on Saturday.
But the Steelers want to make it clear that the McCarthy hire was not made to court Rodgers into returning.
In fact, The Athletic's Mike DeFabo reported that the decision to hire McCarthy was based strictly on his merits as a candidate.
“League sources emphasized to The Athletic — on two separate occasions over the last week — that the Steelers were not considering McCarthy as a way to entice Rodgers to return for a second season,” DeFabo wrote. “At the same time, countless players and several others inside the organization would welcome the quarterback's return.”
It will be interesting to see which coordinators McCarthy hires over the next few weeks.
