Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers hired Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator this offseason knowing it could be a pit-stop position. Coming off a three-year tenure as the Atlanta Falcons’ head coach, surely if Smith did for the Steelers what they hoped he would, he would find another opportunity sooner rather than later.
While Smith reportedly turned down an opportunity to coach at his alma mater, that doesn’t mean he isn’t interested in becoming a head coach again. He insists that he appreciates his time now with the Steelers, but that won’t stop him from taking interviews. When the next hiring cycle fires up, you know he’ll take part, and probably with Tomlin’s blessing.
Following the reports about his contact with the University of North Carolina about its coaching vacancy, Arthur Smith addressed further questions about his coaching future. On Thursday, he spoke about what he would take to his next opportunity from his time with Mike Tomlin. He started by saying, “A lot”.
“[Mike Tomlin] is another Hall of Fame coach that I’ve had the chance to work for. Joe Gibbs being another one”, Arthur Smith said, via the Steelers’ media relations department. “Good mentors. You constantly learn and evolve. I mean, not just Mike, too, it’s this whole organization. It’s different here. It’s unique. It’s a credit to a lot of the people and the way this thing has been built and the way this organization goes day by day about their daily business. It’s an awesome climate, culture, whatever you want to call it. And that’s from the top down”.
The Steelers saw in Smith a coach who fit the Mike Tomlin mold and mindset, and they also saw opportunity. They needed a coach like him to get their offense back on the right track, and he has done that. While there have been peaks and valleys, they currently rank in the top 10 in scoring.
The last time the Steelers finished a season with a top-10 scoring offense was in 2018. Arthur Smith and his unit still have a long way to go before they can make that claim, buzzing from a 44-point game. But efforts like that outing, and a letter of recommendation from Mike Tomlin, still certainly help in his job search.
At least, I’m inclined to assume that he will be open to taking another head-coaching job in 2025. Perhaps Smith sees that as too soon and wants to build more with Tomlin and the Steelers first. Or maybe he won’t find the right opportunity available—which wouldn’t be out of the ordinary.
The Chicago Bears seem to think they have a coveted landing spot with 2024 first-overall pick Caleb Williams, yet who wants to take on that organization? The Jets and perhaps the Giants will be looking for their next head coach as well. And would Arthur Smith want to leave Mike Tomlin’s side to coach the Saints?
Of course, it’s rare that a team has a head-coaching vacancy without major drawbacks. Tomlin was very lucky to step into the Steelers’ job when he did with Bill Cowher retiring. Unless somebody like Sean Payton retires or even Andy Reid retires, I don’t see such an opportunity even on the horizon any time soon. So if Smith really wants to be a head coach in 2025, he’ll have to take what he could get—as he did in Atlanta.
