Many Pittsburgh Steelers fans begged and pleaded for the franchise to part ways with Mike Tomlin, and on Tuesday, they got their wish when he stepped down after 19 years.
More change is coming to the team, though. Without Tomlin, it seems quite unlikely that Aaron Rodgers will return to Pittsburgh, even if he wants to continue playing football. So a new quarterback will be needed.
A new head coach is also likely to bring turnover in the coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is getting looks for head coaching jobs as well as other OC opportunities. Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin might get replaced, too.
Most of that prospective change won’t bother Steelers fans too much. Those moves come with the territory of a change at head coach, especially given Pittsburgh’s specific circumstances. But there is one coaching change that Steelers fans wouldn’t be able to bear if the next head coach completely overhauls the staff.
Pittsburgh Steelers fans hope the next head coach retains ST coordinator Danny Smith on the coaching staff
Danny Smith, a homegrown product from Pittsburgh, has been the Steelers’ special teams coordinator since 2013, and so long as he’s willing to coach, Yinzers don’t want to see that change. Not only does Smith have a top-tier personality in the NFL, known for personal connections with his players and a fat wad of gum somehow fitting between his teeth, but he’s a damn-good coach.
Smith helped develop Chris Boswell into one of the greatest kickers in NFL history. He helped revive and preserve Darrius Heyward-Bey’s career by putting him in a spot to succeed on special teams. Miles Killebrew was named to the Pro Bowl twice as a special teams ace thanks to his efforts and the schemes Smith comes up with each week.
Whether it’s fakes, blocked kicks, or forced fumbles, the third phase in Pittsburgh has been in good hands under Smith’s direction, and Steelers fans don’t want to see that go away when the next head coach begins making his changes.
READ MORE: Steelers head coach history reveals a painfully obvious pattern
Before Thursday, Steelers fans hadn’t gotten any sort of indication whether Smith, or any other coach, would be safe from the next regime. Owner Art Rooney II mentioned that none of the coaches on staff were eligible to be head coach and that the next head coach would have final say on the staff.
"You know, right now I don't think that anybody on our staff is a candidate," Rooney said. "Maybe a candidate to stay on the staff, depending on what the new head coach wants to do, but probably not as a head coach."
For what it’s worth, Steelers reporter Gerry Dulac said on Tuesday that fans shouldn’t assume that the next head coach will wipe out the staff completely.
However, Dulac also reported on Thursday that no coaches will be kept on staff unless the next head coach wants to hire them.
The Steelers have told all of Mike Tomlin’s assistant coaches they are free to pursue other opportunities and won’t be retained unless the new head coach wants to rehire them, per multiple sources. All coaches are under contract through the end of February.
— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) January 15, 2026
With that information, here’s the message for the next head coach: Keep Danny Smith.
The only acceptable scenario to Yinzers in which Smith isn’t on the sideline smacking his jaw on an alarmingly large amount of gum is if the 72-year-old decides to retire after 30 NFL seasons.