Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Byron Leftwich will be back on the sidelines this fall. But it’ll come at the college level, not pro. According to FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz, Leftwich is joining Deion Sanders at Colorado.
Leftwich’s title and role aren’t immediately known. Out of coaching for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Leftwich fielded some NFL interest but didn’t land a job the last few cycles. Once believed to be a future head-coaching candidate who once nearly came to terms with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Leftwich went from a hot-name offensive coordinator with the Tamp Bay Buccaneers to afterthought following a dud of a 2022 season where he was criticized for not running the ball enough.
Leftwich transitioned to coaching after a nearly decade-long playing career. He spent the 2010-2012 seasons as a backup Steelers quarterback appearing in just three games with one start. He finished his NFL career with 50 starts, throwing for over 10,000 yards and nearly 60 touchdowns though he failed to reach expectations after being a first-round selection by the Jaguars in 2003.
He spent several years with the Arizona Cardinals as an offensive assistant before following Bruce Arians to Tampa Bay for the 2019 season. Named the team’s offensive coordinator, the Bucs finished third in scoring in Leftwich’s first season and with QB Tom Brady joining the team in 2020, won a Super Bowl. But the team fell from 13-4 in 2021 to 8-9 in 2022, the offense tanking to finish 25th in points per game. Fired after the season, Leftwich has been out of coaching since.
Some analysts believed Leftwich could be on the Steelers’ radar to replace Matt Canada as offensive coordinator. But Pittsburgh showed little public interest, interviewing only a select few number of candidates before hiring Arthur Smith. Now, Leftwich will look to revive his coaching career in Colorado. A strong season with the Buffs could put him back on NFL radars.
