The Steelers are now in their offseason after failing to reach the playoffs in 2022, coming up just a game short of sneaking in as the seventh seed. They needed help in week 18 and only got some of it, so instead, they sat home and watched the playoffs with the rest of us.
On tap is figuring out how to be on the field in January and February instead of being a spectator. They started out 2-6, digging a hole that proved too deep to dig out of even if they managed to go 7-2 in the second half of the year.
Starting from the end of the regular season and leading all the way up to the beginning of the 2023 season, there are plenty of questions that need answering, starting with who will be the offensive coordinator. Which free agents will be kept? Who might be let go due to their salary? How might they tackle free agency with this new front office? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout this offseason, as we have for many years.
Question: Has Kenny Pickett been told that Matt Canada’s job is safe?
There has been no public declaration that Matt Canada is going to remain the Steelers’ offensive coordinator in 2023, although I imagine many if not most have been working under that assumption. A report came out yesterday, however, claiming that some decisions have been put on hold while head coach Mike Tomlin deals with a personal matter.
Yet at the same time, quarterback Kenny Pickett hopped on with Cameron Heyward on his podcast and talked about the future of the audience, and he spoke as though he expects Canada to remain a part of that. It’s led many to believe that he knows that to be the case.
And so the question of the day is, has Pickett been told that Canada will be his coordinator in 2023? He is under contract for the season, so there isn’t going to be any formal announcement issued through the team’s public relations department acknowledging that. If he is fired, that’s another story.
“We just need to take that jump into year two”, Pickett said, “and [Canada]’s doing a great job trying to figure out what we need to do to get those and put up some more points. So I’m excited to continue to work with him this offseason”.
Of course, people continue to work at their job until they’re fired or quit or retire. So if Canada hasn’t been told yet that he’s going to be fired, he’s obviously going to be working. That’s what his job is—to work. So just because he’s actively working and planning for the 2023 season, we can’t automatically assume that means he’s going to be here to execute the plans he’s putting together.
