One Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator candidate is off their board. The Atlanta Falcons are hiring Los Angeles Rams’ Passing Game Coordinator Zac Robinson as their next OC, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted Saturday night.
The news comes as little surprise, though a blow to the Steelers. Robinson was the favorite for the Falcons’ job after Rams’ DC Raheem Morris was named Atlanta’s next head coach late in the week. With Morris coaching the defensive side of the ball, Robinson should have control over the Falcons’ offense.
On Monday, the Steelers reportedly submitted a request to interview Robinson. One of the most popular names of this year’s OC cycle, it’s unclear if an interview even took place. Pittsburgh did not announce a formal meeting.
UPDATE (9:27 PM): Per Albert Breer, the Steelers wanted to hold an in-person interview with Robinson. By the wording of his tweet, that did not take place. Robinson is getting a three-year deal with the Falcons.
It leaves the Steelers with two current candidates they have conducted interviews with in Carolina’s Thomas Brown and Houston’s Jerrod Johnson. Brown reportedly will not return to the Panthers’ coaching staff under new head coach David Canales. Johnson is also a hot name this year, interviewed by several teams.
Both young coaches, Johnson served as the Texans’ QB Coach, working alongside C.J. Stroud to a fantastic rookie year, playoff berth, and Wild Card win. Brown was hired away from the Rams to become the Panthers’ offensive coordinator in 2023. But Carolina’s offense was one of the worst in football and Brown only called plays for half the year, splitting duties prior to head coach Frank Reich getting fired after 12 games. When Brown took over as the team’s play caller to finish out the year, the team’s results did not improve. Still, Brown comes from the Sean McVay tree and was viewed as a fast riser prior to 2023.
Pittsburgh may conduct more interviews throughout the next two weeks as they find their offensive coordinator for 2024 and beyond. The coaching staff is gearing up to head down to Mobile, Alabama for this upcoming week’s Senior Bowl.
