The Pittsburgh Steelers' 2024 postseason ended as quickly as most fans thought it would. Mike Tomlin's team capped off the colossal winter meltdown by dropping his fifth straight game—this time against the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs.
During this 0-5 stretch to close out the year, the Steelers' offense averaged a dismal 14.2. Prorated over the course of a season, this would have ranked dead last in the NFL in 2024. Additionally, over the final six games of the season, quarterback Russell Wilson threw for a mere 164 yards per game.
Despite all of this, there are teams that are interested in poaching offensive coordinator Arthur Smith from the Steelers.
On January 15, reporter and NFL insider Albert Breer confirmed that Smith is interviewing today with the Chicago Bears and tomorrow with the New York Jets for their respective vacant head coaching positions.
Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is interviewing for the Bears HC job this morning and for the Jets HC job tomorrow, per sources.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 15, 2025
After the NFL teams did some house cleaning early in the offseason, they are left looking for answers. Unfortunately, they probably won't find what they are looking for in Arthur Smith... but they are more than welcome to try.
Steelers could wash their hands of Arthur Smith is he's poached for HC job
Arthur Smith is at least a competent coach, and the difference between him and Matt Canada was night and day. But his conservative approach and game plan—no doubt spearheaded by Mike Tomlin—wasn't close to good enough to get the job done.
Despite Smith's struggles with efficiency running the football and in play-action (which was thought to be his forte), at least two teams are considering him for a head coaching job. You won't catch Steelers fans crying if he's poached.
In his first season with the Steelers, Smith's offense finished 23rd in the NFL in total yards and 16th in total points. Meanwhile, the Steelers were just 25th in yards per play and 25th in rushing yards per attempt in 2024.
Over the past four seasons now, Smith hasn't produced an offense that collectively ranked inside the top 20. Some of this can be chalked up to underwhelming personnel, but good coaches find a way to overcome less-than-perfect circumstances.
So what makes him so enticing to other teams?
The answer is anyone's guess. Perhaps it's Smith's former track record as an offensive coordinator with the Tennessee Titans back in 2019 and 2020, but you would think NFL front offices would care more about his recent sample size than what he did as a coordinator five-plus years ago.
READ MORE: 10 possible Arthur Smith replacements if the OC leaves the Steelers
Regardless of their reasoning, Smith getting poached from the team would be the perfect opportunity for the Steelers to move on and seek a more aggressive offensive coordinator who values putting points on the board, not just trying to establish the run.
Of course, this will be easier said than done. Mike Tomlin decides the coaching hires and gives the final sign-off. It's Tomlin's conservative nature as a coach that attracted him to Smith in the first place. But with Tomlin under fire after another playoff bust, perhaps he would be willing to switch things up, knowing his days could be numbered.
Arthur Smith is just one of many candidates who are searching for head coaching positions in 2025 and there are only so many jobs to go around. If he does get hired to be an HC, his contract with the Steelers will be void and Pittsburgh will be free to pick a new offensive coordinator.