Steelers Now
A Pittsburgh Steelers legend has issued a warning to the team about hiring a specific head coach candidate.
The Pittsburgh Steelers search for their next head coach is officially underway, but one of their former stars hopes one head coach candidate doesn’t even get an interview.
Steelers legendary linebacker James Harrison recently expressed that he is completely out on former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel.
“You talking about the dude that just got fired in Miami,” Harrison asked on Deebo & Joe. “Whoever said that, man, tell them, ‘Go chew on wood or glue or something.’ They sniffing glue. They gotta be sniffing glue.”
Mike McDaniel the possible successor to Arthur Smith as OC?? Nah go chew on some wood, we don’t want that! 😅 @jharrison9292 @joehaden23 #DeeboAndJoe pic.twitter.com/O7EgBNYU2i
— Deebo & Joe (@deeboandjoe) January 15, 2026
McDaniel, 42, served as the Dolphins head coach for four seasons from 2022-25. However, he left much to be desired as he finished his tenure with a 35-33 regular season record and 0-2 playoff record before being fired earlier this month.
Many could argue that McDaniel’s lack of success was due to the struggling play of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, but it seemed like he lost Miami’s locker room as time went on.
That is exactly what Pittsburgh needs to avoid as it goes through an instrumental transition in its coaching staff and likely roster.
McDaniel has been recognized as an offensive innovator, capable of running a fast-paced, modern NFL offense, which is something the Steelers could desperately use. However, Harrison may just get his wish as the team has yet to show any interest in McDaniels.
That could change, though, especially because team president Art Rooney II seemed to hint he was going to take his time to make sure Pittsburgh finds the right guy.
“I don’t want to put an exact timeframe on it,” Rooney said. “We’ll get started right away. It will take weeks, at least, I would say. Nowadays, there are number of protocols we have to follow that are sort of designed to slow the process down.”
The Steelers have moved quickly in the past, with each of their last three coaches hired in late January, and McDaniel doesn’t seem to be on their radar, at least early in the process.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Legend Urges Team to Avoid Head Coach Candidate
