Will former Steelers S Mike Mitchell return to Pittsburgh on the coaching staff?
The fate of the Steelers’ coaching staff remains unclear at this point. Obviously, there will be a new offensive coordinator in the near future. There are reports that they are working on retaining Teryl Austin as defensive coordinator.
The rest is up in the air, including the fate of those who recently shared the offensive coordinator responsibilities. Quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan took over play-calling responsibilities after Matt Canada was fired. Now he is reportedly interviewing for outside offensive coordinator jobs.
One coach we know will be gone is assistant defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander. He is reportedly joining Antonio Pierce’s new staff with the Las Vegas Raiders to coach their safeties. That means Pittsburgh figures to be in the market for a replacement.
So why not a former Steelers safety to do the job? There is one freshly on the market. Mike Mitchell was not retained as assistant defensive backs coach by the Indianapolis Colts, so he is a “free agent” coach.
Mitchell signed with the Steelers as a sixth-year veteran in 2014 on a five-year, $25 million deal. By their standards, it was a big, splash move. He played four years before being cut, spending his final season in the league with the Colts.
Incidentally, he has already described an opportunity to coach for Mike Tomlin on the Steelers’ staff an honor. That’s always a good place to start. And Tomlin said when they were playing Indianapolis last season that he was still in regular contact.
Tomlin has always been known as a player’s coach, and his coaches always seem to like him as well. Why not put the two together? He does have a number of former players who have entered the coaching profession, like William Gay, though none currently on his own staff. Who knows? Maybe Hines Ward will also come back to Pittsburgh this offseason to coach the wide receivers.
The Steelers’ 2023 season has been put out of its misery, ending as so many have before in recent years: a disappointing, blowout playoff loss. The only change-up lately is when they miss the playoffs altogether. But with the Buffalo Bills stamping them out in the Wildcard Round, they have another long offseason to look forward to.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Is Kenny Pickett the guy? Will he get another season’s reprieve without a serious challenge? How will the team address the depth chart? Do they re-sign Mason Rudolph, one of few significant unrestricted free agents?
The Steelers are swirling with more questions this offseason than usual, frankly, though the major free agent list is less substantial than usual. It’s just a matter of…what happens next? Where do they go from here? How do they find the way forward?
