Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach candidate Jeff Hafley is now a finalist for two other head coaching vacancies, as he is one of three coaches to have a second interview with the Tennessee Titans, per Adam Schefter of ESPN>
Hafley, the Packers’ defensive coordinator, will join San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy as candidates to get a second interview in Tennessee after an expansive search that included 18 candidates with first-round interviews.
Saleh was expected to get a virtual interview, but with the 49ers losing over the weekend, he can now interview with the Titans in person.
Hafley is also considered the frontrunner for the Miami Dolphins vacancy, and its unclear which of those jobs he might prefer if presented. He’s the betting favorite to land the Miami job. Hafley interviewed virtually with the Arizona Cardinals for their vacant head coach position on Wednesday, and with the Steelers on Saturday.
The Steelers and other teams can begin in-person interviews with coaches from playoff teams that have been eliminated beginning on Monday, Jan. 19.
Hafley, the Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator, is one of nine coaches the Steelers have requested to interview. A Montvale, New Jersey native, Hafley spent five years as an assistant coach at Pitt early in his career and has a unique resume among potential Steelers coaches.
At the NFL level, Hafley has had a fairly normal career track, starting as an assistant defensive backs coach. Like Tomlin, Hafley played wide receiver at the FCS leave in college, but has mostly coached defensive backs. He also got his pro start with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Hafley spent two seasons in Tampa, two with the Cleveland Browns and two with the San Francisco 49ers as defensive backs coach before his current stint as the Packers’ defensive coordinator.
But in between, Hafley returned to college, spending one year as defensive coordinator at Ohio State and four seasons as the head coach at Boston College, giving him both head coaching experience and NFL defensive coordinator experience, but also making him a first-time head coach prospect at the NFL level.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Coach Candidate a Finalist for Two Other Jobs
