One week after parting ways with Frisman Jackson, the Pittsburgh Steelers have reportedly found his replacement.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Steelers are expected to hire Zach Azzanni as their next wide receivers coach. Fowler tweeted the report just moments ago.
Azzanni, 47, entered the NFL as a wide receivers coach with the Chicago Bears in 2017 after spending 18 seasons at the college level, working at places like Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Florida, Wisconsin and Tennessee. He is a St. Louis native.
While at Central Michigan, Azzanni helped develop Antonio Brown, who went on to have a remarkable NFL career with the Steelers, New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
After spending one season with the Bears, Azzanni was the wide receivers coach for the Denver Broncos from 2018-2022 before then spending the 2023 season with the New York Jets.
In his career, Azzanni has worked with the likes of Emmanuel Sanders, Courtland Sutton, the late Demaryius Thomas, Jerry Jeudy, and Garrett Wilson.
Throughout his career, Azzanni has focused primarily on coaching receivers and enters his 23rd season in the coaching profession. He takes over for Jackson, who spent the last two seasons coaching the Steelers’ wide receivers featuring names like Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, Allen Robinson II, Chase Claypool and Calvin Austin III.
Prior to hiring Jackson in 2022, the Steelers had Ike Hilliard as their wide receivers coach for two seasons.
Azzanni decided to follow former Broncos head coach and Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to New York for the 2023 season after six seasons in the Mile High City, working less than half a season with Hackett in Denver. While in Denver, Azzanni stuck around through three different coaching staffs under Vance Joseph, Vic Fangio and Hackett, helping develop key pieces offensively like Sutton and Jeudy.
He left the Jets after New York reportedly hired former NFL player Shawn Jefferson as the wide receivers coach, making a change.
Now, he’s reportedly set to join the Steelers’ offensive coaching staff under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
