Steelers Expected To Have A Huge Shake-Up On Coaching Staff As They Begin The 2025 Offseason

The Pittsburgh Steelers ended the 2024 season on a disastrous note. The team lost its final four regular season games and then put forth an embarrassing performance during the Wild Card Round of the playoffs against the Baltimore Ravens. A large portion of the fan base wants to see some major changes within the organization and throughout the coaching staff. Head Coach Mike Tomlin will be keeping his job, but both the offensive and defensive coordinator spots are certainly up in the air as the 2025 offseason gets under way.

There have been moments where both the offense and the defense have been atrocious for the Steelers during the 2024 season. Regardless of that, Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith has been receiving interest for some of the head coaching vacancies around the league. A team that is interested in the coordinator is the New York Jets, who put in a request to interview Smith before Wild Card Weekend. ESPN insider Dan Graziano predicted each head coaching vacancy, and he had New York hiring Smith. 

"I could certainly see the Jets ending up with Aaron Glenn or Brian Flores, but I've already predicted those guys to land elsewhere," Graziano wrote. "Smith was a candidate of interest to Jets owner Woody Johnson back in 2021, when the team hired Saleh. But at the time, Johnson was serving as ambassador to the United Kingdom and was not directly involved in the search. The Jets also considered bringing in Smith and adding him to their offensive staff last year before the Steelers hired him as their coordinator."

It is worth noting that Smith has also received interest from the Chicago Bears, who also requested to interview Smith. Him going to the Jets is by no means a done deal, some Pittsburgh fans are probably even shocked that he is being considered for head coaching jobs. His experience as a head coach is valuable to a lot of organizations, as they don't want a first-time head coach going into the 2025 season. 

Smith coached the Atlanta Falcons from 2021 through the 2023 season. He never made the playoffs and went 7-10 in all three years, although he never truly had an exceptional quarterback. Before joining the Steelers staff during the 2024 offseason, he was being considered for a spot on New York's offensive coaching staff. He was also a top candidate for the Jets during their last search for a head coach in 2021. Graziano made another interesting point as to why Smith to the Jets is a good connection.

"In the past, [Woody] Johnson has been known to lock in a bit on his personal favorites. Remember, he lost out to the Dolphins on Adam Gase in 2016, then hired Gase three years later after the Dolphins fired him."

Adam Gase was a horrific head coach for the Miami Dolphins, but Jets owner Woody Johnson wanted him in 2016 and missed out. He signed him after he was fired from the Dolphins, and it didn't go well in New York. There is a good chance that Johnson wants to see Smith in New York, which could make some Steelers fans very happy. The offense didn't always perform well, and some were even calling for Smith's job throughout the year.

Steelers' Arthur Smith Attractive To Other Organizations Thank To His Quarterbacks

The head coaching experience Smith already possesses makes organizations want to take a look at him, as does the way he handled the quarterback situation in Pittsburgh during the 2024 season. He had Justin Fields as his starter for the first six games of the year, and the struggling quarterback looked great during his playing time for the Steelers. Russell Wilson also had his moments once he took the reigns of the offense. 

The relationship between a head coach and a quarterback is the key to success. Smith helped himself with the way he handled things in Pittsburgh, and it could make him a head coach again very quickly.

Do you think Smith will become a head coach again? Let us know in the comments below!

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