Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell took a shot at the Steelers’ reported hiring of Mike McCarthy as their new head coach Saturday.
After ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Steelers plan to hire McCarthy, Bell took to X to express his belief that Pittsburgh is poised to go 4-13 in 2026:
McCarthy will replace Mike Tomlin, who stepped down as Steelers head coach last week after 19 years on the job.
Tomlin went 193-114-2 with 13 playoff appearances, two trips to the Super Bowl and one Super Bowl win. He also never finished with a record less than .500.
McCarthy has 18 seasons of head coaching experience, serving in that role with the Green Bay Packers from 2006 to 2018 and the Dallas Cowboys from 2020 to 2024.
He has a career record of 174-112-2 with 12 playoff appearances, and he led the Packers to a Super Bowl win over Tomlin and the Steelers in 2010.
Bell, 33, spent his first five NFL seasons playing under Tomlin in Pittsburgh until he was traded to the New York Jets as part of a contract dispute.
He was a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time First Team All-Pro with Tomlin and the Steelers, and he never came close to reaching that level of success again with the Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Despite lacking great quarterback play since Ben Roethlisberger retired at the end of the 2021 season, the Steelers have made three consecutive playoff appearances. However, they have not won a playoff game since 2016.
Veteran Aaron Rodgers helped the Steelers go 10-7 en route to winning the AFC North this season, and it is fair to wonder if McCarthy’s hiring could compel him to return for another season in Pittsburgh after he and McCarthy won a Super Bowl together in Green Bay.
Four wins would be the Steelers’ fewest since going 1-13 in 1969, so if Bell’s prediction comes to fruition, it would yield one of the worst seasons in franchise history.
