Steelers Now
For a stretch with Ben Roethlisberger behind center, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ attack enjoyed one of its best eras. The future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback wants to see his former franchise move forward with a focus on his side of the ball.
“I want an offensive-minded head coach,” Roethlisberger said Tuesday on his podcast. “That’s what I would do if I was the general manager. We’ve had defensive-minded coaches in here. That’s what they’ve all been, and I’m ready for an offensive guy. I want to score more than six points in a postseason game. I would love a younger, offensive-minded head coach that is maybe an up-and-comer — a (Sean) McVay-ish, a Ben Johnson-ish, a young guy that you’re gonna bring in here to be the focus on the offense.
“I think if you get that young offensive-minded head coach in here, I would say, ‘OK, here’s what you need to do. You need to bring a defensive coordinator in that is a veteran defensive coordinator, maybe a guy that’s already had a head coaching job that doesn’t wanna be a head coach anymore. He’s just like, ‘You know what? I’m over being a head coach. I’m not trying to move on. I would be here for the next 5-10 years, whatever you want.’ And give him full reins of the defense.”
Ben Roethlisberger has a clear plan for what he wants in the #Steelers’ next head coach. Do you agree with him?#HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/MakrUThO2G
— Steelers Now (@PghSteelersNow) January 22, 2026
From 2014-18, the Steelers’ offense was among the league’s elite, finishing no worse than seventh in total yardage, top-10 in scoring, and top-five in passing in every season. Since 2019, however, the attack hasn’t graded out higher than 23rd in total yardage and only twice has it been in the league’s top half in terms of scoring.
As part of their head coaching search, Steelers president Art Rooney II and general manager Omar Khan have interviewed a trio of candidates who emphasize offense — Los Angeles Rams passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak and former Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Big Ben Challenges Steelers to Rethink Well-Known Identity
