We know three of the names on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ list as they search for their next offensive coordinator: Carolina’s Thomas Brown, Houston’s Jerrod Johnson, and Los Angeles’ Zac Robinson. We weren’t sure about the fourth. Earlier this week, Peter King dropped a comment that the Steelers had plans to speak with USC analyst Kliff Kingsbury. It seemed like a surprising revelation, news that hadn’t yet been reported and a fit that didn’t seem to quite make sense. Since, there’s been no other reporting or indication that Kingsbury is part of Pittsburgh’s plans.
Yesterday, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac shed some light on the situation. Speaking with 105.9 The X’s Mark Madden, Dulac said the Steelers don’t currently have interest in Kingsbury.
“I will tell you Kliff Kingsbury, despite what you’re hearing, is not on their list,” Dulac told Madden. “Now, that’s not saying it [won’t] change. But they have a list of candidates, and he is not on their list.”
King made the comments on a Tuesday appearance on 93.7 The Fan. Here’s what he said.
“Right now, he’s talked to the Bears and he’s gonna talk to the Steelers—interesting places. The Bears are a running team. The Steelers are a running team…I’ll tell you this, if he gets one of these jobs, I guarantee you that that team will be a running team.”
Now, it appears King was mixed up and misspoke, perhaps presuming the Steelers had spoken with Kingsbury since he was being asked about him. Either way, it doesn’t appear that Kingsbury is on Pittsburgh’s radar regarding its coordinator search, though Dulac noted plans could change throughout the process. Kingsbury has reportedly spoken with the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles.
So far, the Steelers have two confirmed interviews. One with Thomas Brown and today, an interview with Jerrod Johnson. Robinson appears to still be planned but it’s unclear when it’ll take place. Given his demand, it’s possible he gets hired by another team even prior to that point. Pittsburgh figures to interview more names before making a decision. No timeline has been set but Dulac believes the hire will come sooner than later. The Steelers will be in Mobile, Ala., next week for the 2024 Senior Bowl. Perhaps they’ll make a decision when they return to Pittsburgh.
