Steelers hire Patrick Graham as Mike McCarthy’s defensive coordinator

Mike McCarthy’s coaching staff in Pittsburgh is taking shape.

The Steelers have hired Patrick Graham to become their next defensive coordinator, the team announced Friday evening.

Graham, who takes over for Teryl Austin, had spent the last four seasons on the Raiders’ staff in the same position, working under three different head coaching regimes in Las Vegas.

He was a candidate for the Dolphins’ head coaching vacancy in this cycle before the job went to former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.

Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham of the Las Vegas Raiders walks on the sideline before a game against the Denver Broncos at Allegiant Stadium on December 7, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Getty Images

In bringing in Graham, McCarthy gets a familiar face, as the two worked together in Green Bay with McCarthy as the head coach and Graham as the linebackers coach and run game coordinator.

Graham has coached in the NFL since 2009, starting with a five-year run on Bill Belichick’s Patriots staff.

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy speaks at a press conference introducing him as the next head coach of the Steelers at PNC Champions Club at Acrisure Stadium. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

He also mixed in two separate stints with the Giants, first as the defensive line coach (2016-17) under Ben McAdoo and then as defensive coordinator (2020-21) under Joe Judge.

ESPN reported that Commanders assistant Jason Simmons is expected to play a role in the defensive coaching in Pittsburgh.

The Raiders, a team that landed the No. 1 pick in April’s draft, still ranked 14th in the NFL in yards allowed per game (317.8) under Graham’s coaching. That was significantly better than the Steeles, who ranked 26th in the same category in 2025.

McCarthy will now look to fill the team’s offensive coordinator void after Arthur Smith left the Steelers for Ohio State last week.