The Pittsburgh Steelers are going outside the organization for an offensive coordinator hire for the first time since hiring Todd Haley in 2012. After the failed Matt Canada experiment, The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly believes that team owner Art Rooney II is going to have a “huge, huge say” in who Pittsburgh hires as its next offensive coordinator.
“I really do believe Art is gonna have a huge, huge say, so they’re going down to the Senior Bowl here in another week and a half, and Art normally goes down there as well for a day or two. I’m sure they will be talking to some guys there,” Kaboly said on The PM Team on 93.7 The Fan.
Later in the interview, he said the hire will not be former Steelers quarterback and Tampa Bay Buccaneers OC Byron Leftwich.
“It is not gonna be Leftwich. I could tell you who not it’s going to be more than it’s going to be,” Kaboly said, although Leftwich was the only name he definitively ruled out.
Leftwich has been linked to the Steelers ever since being let go by Tampa Bay after the 2022 season. He was endorsed by former Steelers Willie Colon and Plaxico Burress back in November after Canada was let go, but Kaboly sounds adamant that Leftwich won’t be the choice.
He does fit the criteria as an outside candidate who has coordinator experience, but Tampa Bay’s offense struggled in 2022, finishing with just 18.4 points per game in Tom Brady’s final NFL season. That cost Leftwich his job, and he spent the 2023 season away from the sport.
After the struggles of some of Pittsburgh’s internal hires and Rooney’s influence on the organization, it’s not much of a surprise that he’s going to have a major say in the hire. It will be a collective decision made by Rooney, general manager Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin, but Rooney is more than likely going to have final say as he does on almost everything regarding the organization.
With lots of personnel gathering in Mobile, Ala., for the Senior Bowl in a little bit over a week, it’s no surprise that the Steelers will likely talk to candidates there where they can do so in person more easily. However, Tomlin said during his press conference on Thursday that the Steelers need to be compliant with league rules, which may mean they want to talk to coaches who may still be in the playoffs, so the process will likely take place over multiple weeks.
This is an important hire for the Steelers as they try to improve their lackluster offensive output over the past few years, and it’s no surprise at all that Rooney’s involvement will be high.
