Report: Steelers At Risk Of Losing Head Coach Interviewee To The Baltimore Ravens

A total of 10 NFL teams, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, had, or still currently have, a head coaching opening. The 2026 offseason for the league has started off as dramatic as possible, which has made for plenty of storylines and battles for top candidates. The New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans have already landed their guys, while six other franchises continue to comb through a vast majority of individuals looking to earn the right to be one of the 32 luckiest people in sports. One of the more fascinating facts is that three of these available jobs are in the AFC North.

Mike Tomlin had to be the biggest of all names to leave their post, even though he stepped down on his own rather than being fired. His former rivals within the division, John Harbaugh and Kevin Stefanski, have already landed lead jobs in the NFC. Despite this, the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Steelers all remain on the hunt for who will be the next leader in their respective locker rooms.

Pittsburgh has focused on plenty of defensive-minded coaches, and one that has gone slightly under the radar is Los Angeles Chargers Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter.

The Steelers have been rather slow going after in-person interviews, as only two have been completed, and to fans' knowledge, only one other is currently scheduled. Jeff Hafley was hired by the Dolphins, while Brian Flores and Mike McCarthy have been the only two to complete an interview in person. Anthony Weaver is expected in on Friday.

For Pittsburgh, it seems as if getting Minter to the Steel City would be wise. He is a young up-and-comer that could be a head coach for a long time. Unfortunately, according to Jason La Canfora, the Steelers might have to play Minter two times a year, instead.

Minter was with the Ravens from 2017 to 2020, so the franchise is rather familiar with him. Not only does it seem as if Baltimore is going to hire him, the Steelers haven't even been reported to want to interview the Chargers' defensive play-caller in person. That should tell a fan everything that there is to know about where everyone is expecting the coveted candidate to end up.

Theoretically, Pittsburgh could have its next head coach by Friday evening. Per the Rooney Rule, two minority candidates must be interviewed in person for this kind of position. Flores and Weaver are both set to have completed theirs by Friday, so anything could happen after that. However, the Steelers will likely wait until after the Conference Championship Games to speak more in depth with both Chris Shula and Nate Scheelhaase.

Steelers Didn't Seem Too Interested In Minter Anyway

While Minter did complete a virtual interview with Pittsburgh, his team is out of the postseason and he was not asked (as of Thursday morning) to fly to the Steel City for an in-person meeting. This hints at the fact that the Steelers' brass may not feel as if it is worth it to go deeper into the process with him. It could simply be due to the fact that he wasn't impressive, or because the overall belief is that an AFC North rival in the Ravens and General Manager Eric Decosta will hire him.

Do you think that the Steelers still have interest in Minter? Let us know in the comments below!

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