New Steelers coach Mike McCarthy brings former Jets, Falcons staffer to Pitt

The Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday announced Steve Scarnecchia as chief of staff, a newly created role for the franchise’s coaching staff. The appointment signals a shift in the organization’s structure under Mike McCarthy’s leadership and reflects a broader push to formalize daily operations, practice planning, and football-operations logistics.

Scarnecchia previously held the same chief of staff title with the Atlanta Falcons and the New York Jets, giving him experience coordinating meetings, practice schedules, and the overall team activities calendar. He also managed budgeting for football operations and organized events and administrative support for coaches and staff. The Steelers described his responsibilities in Atlanta and New York as laying the groundwork for what he could bring to Pittsburgh.

The role is particularly notable for its novelty in Pittsburgh; the Steelers have never had a chief of staff for their coaching staff, and McCarthy is described as the fourth head coach since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970. Scarnecchia’s background offers a blend of process-oriented leadership and extensive NFL experience, including time on Dan Quinn’s Falcons staff that reached the 2016 NFC Championship before losing to the Patriots in Super Bowl LI. He is also the son of Dante Scarnecchia, the longtime Patriots offensive-line coach.

In addition to Scarnecchia’s hiring, Pittsburgh announced a wave of offensive-line and support-staff moves. James Campen and Jahri Evans joined the Steelers’ O-line group, with Campen previously serving as Packers’ offensive-line coach/run-game coordinator and Evans bringing more than a decade of NFL playing and coaching experience. Ramon Chinyoung was named senior running backs coach, and Adam Henry was brought in as wide receivers coach.

The Steelers also expanded their defensive coaching staff under new coordinator Patrick Graham, adding Jason Simmons as defensive pass-game coordinator and Scott McCurley as inside-linebackers coach. Together with Scarnecchia and the other hires, Pittsburgh aims to overhaul its coaching framework as part of the franchise’s evolving era under McCarthy’s leadership.

This stream of hires underscores the Steelers’ intent to reshape its coaching structure and leverage a broader network of experienced assistants, aligning with a renewed emphasis on organization, planning, and player development as they move forward.