Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II revealed during his Wednesday press conference that he does not think anyone on the staff currently will be a candidate for the vacant head coach position.
“Right now, I don’t think anybody on our staff is a candidate,” Rooney said. “Maybe a candidate to stay on the staff depending on what the new head coach wants to do, but probably not as a head coach.”
Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is the only one that could have been seen as a candidate.
There is a chance that he could stay on the staff with a new head coach, however. Both of Mike Tomlin’s initial coordinators, Dick LeBeau and Bruce Arians, were holdovers from the previous staff.
Smith remains under contract for the Steelers for the 2025 season, even though Tomlin stepped down on Tuesday.
The Arizona Cardinals have submitted a request to interview Smith for their head coach vacancy, according to a report by NFL Network.
The Cardinals are the second team to request an interview with Smith, following the Tennessee Titans. He can interview with those teams virtually starting today, or in-person, starting on Monday.
A Memphis native, Smith has deep ties to Tennessee, where he spent most of coaching career. He also served alongside current Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort when he worked for the Titans.
Smith, 43, was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons for three seasons before joining the Steelers, posting a 7-10 record every year before being fired.
He rehabbed his reputation in Pittsburgh by his offense over-achieving its talent level. In 2023, the year before he arrived, the Steelers finished 28th in scoring under Matt Canada. In Smith’s first season, that jumped up to 16th and then 15th in his second season in 2025.
In the middle of last season, Smith turned down an opportunity to coach at his alma mater, North Carolina — a job that eventually went to Bill Belichick. He was also a finalist for the New York Jets head coaching job that eventually went to Aaron Glenn.
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Art Rooney II Rules Out Arthur Smith as Next Steelers HC
