Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has conducted several interviews for head coaching positions in the league, although a move to another team seems unlikely.
However, when discussing potential candidates for the New England Patriots’ offensive coordinator role, ESPN’s Mike Reiss mentioned Smith, citing his connection with new head coach Mike Vrabel from their time together at the Tennessee Titans.
“Vrabel holds Arthur Smith, his former Titans OC and current Pittsburgh Steelers OC, in high esteem,” Reiss stated. “Smith, who has previously served as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, is a candidate for head coaching roles with the New York Jets and Chicago Bears, which likely rules him out for this position.”
While Reiss suggested that a move to New England for Smith is improbable, it remains an intriguing possibility. For this to happen, the Steelers would need to either fire Smith or grant the Patriots permission to interview him, neither of which seems likely at this moment.
Vrabel kept Smith, who was then the Titans’ tight ends coach, when he was appointed as head coach in 2018. Smith was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2019, leading the team to the AFC Championship game that season and to an 11-5 record with an AFC South title in 2020.
Smith took over as the Atlanta Falcons’ head coach in 2021, finishing with a 21-30 record before being let go after the 2023 season. In his first year as the Steelers’ offensive coordinator, the team averaged 319.4 yards and 22.4 points per game, both improvements over the previous year’s averages of 304.3 yards and 17.9 points.
