The Pittsburgh Steelers have been under fire as an organization ever since the end of the 2024 season. The team ended the campaign on a five-game losing streak and lost in the first round of the playoffs yet again. It became clear during the final stretch of the year that the Steelers do not have what it takes to compete with some of the top-tier teams in the AFC, or the entire NFL. Serious changes must be made, but it doesn't seem like Team President Art Rooney II plans on making those changes anytime soon.
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Steelers Owner and Team President Art Rooney II looks on before an away game.
Many different facets of the Steelers' coaching staff has been scrutinized over the last few weeks. A lot of fans wanted to see guys like Mike Tomlin and Teryl Austin lose their jobs, and the fan base would like to see more coaches on the staff as a whole. A lot of teams in the league have passing-game coordinators, run-game coordinators, different assistant coaches, yet the Steelers have very little of that. It all comes back to ownership being cheap, because more coaches means more money.
NFL reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala recently joined 93.7 The Fan, where she shared an interesting tidbit about how little the Steelers pay their coaches. She spoke about former Offensive Coordinator, Todd Haley, who joined the Cleveland Browns after being let go by Pittsburgh.
"I'll never forget when Todd Haley left Pittsburgh and became the offensive coordinator in Cleveland," Kinkhabwala said. "He made a significantly greater amount of money."
Haley was hired by the Steelers in 2012 as the offensive coordinator, and he served in the role through the 2017 season. His contract expired after 2017, and the organization announced that it would not be renewed. There was said to be some tension between Haley and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, which was likely a factor in the decision not to renew Haley's contract.
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Former Steelers Offensive Coordinator, Todd Haley before a home game in Pittsburgh.
Haley was hired by the Browns as their offensive coordinator ahead of the 2018 season, but he wound up being fired by the end of October. Kinkhabwala shared that Haley saw a significant increase in his pay when he joined the Browns, which is completely embarrassing for the Steelers considering the Browns had gone 0-16 the season before.
This has been a common pattern with the owners of the Steelers. The facilities and locker rooms are outdated for the Steelers, and the coaching staff is one of the smallest in the league. Austin is one of the lowest-paid coordinators in the league, as it is rumored that he makes less than a million dollars per year. Pittsburgh will eventually learn that the organization needs to invest more in the coaching staff, as that is what some of the most successful teams in the NFL do.
The salaries of coaches in the NFL are not released to the public, but Austin's salary has been rumored to be cheap. Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith has also been said to making $2 million per year.
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Steelers' Mike Tomlin looks on during a tough game against the Ravens.
Steelers' Mike Tomlin's Hiring Mishaps Could Be Remedied By A Larger Staff
One of the biggest blemishes on Tomlin's resume is his history of questionable hires. His coaching tree is non-existent, which is almost impressive for a guy who has been a head coach in the NFL for 18 seasons. He has made some questionable decisions throughout his career, most notably hiring Matt Canada as offensive coordinator ahead of the 2021 season. What made this decision even worse was that Tomlin refused to fire Canada until the Steelers were halfway through the 2023 season, and it seems as though that whole fiasco set the organization back a year or two.
The Steelers need to commit to investing in the coaching staff, and bringing on more members of the staff.
What do you think of the Steelers consistently being cheap when it comes to filling out their coaching staff? Should the organization bring on more coaches? Let us know in the comments below!
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