Steelers Are In Danger Of Losing A Critical Coach In 2026

The Pittsburgh Steelers may be in line to have an overhaul of the coaching staff after the 2025 season ends. Making massive changes to the player roster has not worked, as the team is seemingly destined for another year without a playoff victory, so something else will have to be fixed. There are quite a few assistants on the hot seat, even though Head Coach Mike Tomlin is not expected to be fired. Blaming the players is clearly not the answer now. Many believe there has to be more seismic changes to get out of this current mediocre cycle. 

However, one of these coaching changes may not be voluntary. Insider Dan Graziano reports that the most well-respected man on Tomlin's coaching staff, Arthur Smith, has his name swirling around rumors to be a head coach in the NFL again.

"On the offensive side of the ball, expect the usual suspects -- Buffalo's Joe Brady, Kansas City's Matt Nagy and Pittsburgh's Arthur Smith," Graziano said.

Smith's name has been floated around the NFL and college levels since early October, and those rumors have not quieted down. He is seen in league circles as one of the brighter minds on the offensive side of the ball, and some believe that he deserves a second chance at becoming a head coach. At the very least, he will certainly get interviews with multiple teams. The question is if he takes any and/or he blows any team away. 

Of course, Smith's first stint as head coach did not go well, as his Atlanta Falcons won seven games in each of his three seasons there, and progress was never truly made. However, his offense's performance since the beginning of 2024, despite the lack of heavy talent, have NFL teams believing that he could be the right guy to help turn a franchise around. Maybe he did learn from his previous mistakes.

Many people believe that the Steelers don't have a legitimate WR2 on the team, but that has not stopped Smith from coming up with a gameplan to make things work well in both the pass and run game. They have not been able to use the jumbo formation much due to injury, but when they can, it proves to be so overpowered, and that is the key to the team moving the ball downfield. 

After his 2024 season with the New York Jets, many others believed that signing Aaron Rodgers would be a complete mistake, especially with how he made Pittsburgh wait until mandatory minicamp before he finally decided to put pen to paper and make it official. He has not been elite, but he has done well overall outside of his disastrous Week 10 game. 

Much of Steeler Nation has grown to truly appreciate Smith, especially after the fans had to deal with years of subpar offenses with Randy Fichtner and Matt Canada running things. If the offensive coordinator does leave Pittsburgh to pursue a better title elsewhere, it will be up to Tomlin to find a respected mind to replace him with, and the fan base will not tolerate another cheap, easy hire.

Steelers' Potential Offensive Coordinator Candidates If Smith Leaves

The Steelers' best option would be to do the same thing they did in 2024: go after a recently fired head coach that may be more comfortable as a coordinator. In this case, Brian Daboll would arguably be the best option. If Kevin Stefanski gets fired after 2025, Tomlin should do everything he can to bring in an offensive mind like his into the fold as well. There are quality options out there for Pittsburgh.

What do you think about Smith possibly becoming a head coach elsewhere? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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