Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will have his first of two scheduled head coach interviews on Wednesday, according to a report by Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.
Smith will interview virtually with the Chicago Bears on Wednesday morning, and with the New York Jets on Thursday, Breer reported.
There are six teams with head coach openings, but so far, only the Bears and Jets have expressed interest in the Steelers offensive coordinator. The Jets interviewed Smith extensively back in 2021, before they hired Robert Saleh and he ended up as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.
Unlike the college job at his alma mater North Carolina, which Smith turned down, he at least has some interest in joining the Jets or Bears, as he’s taking the interviews. Smith said that after his experience in Atlanta, he’s not rushing to take another head coaching job, and will look for a place that he thinks is the right fit.
“It’s nice when someone reaches out, sure, but again, I’ve got an awesome job here,” he said. “I love it here in Pittsburgh. Probably a different mindset than I had five, four years ago. Any head job, I probably would’ve walked there to take it. Now, my perspective is different. When you’ve got something good, like I’ve got here in Pittsburgh right now, my family loves it, I like the working environment, I love being a Steeler.”
Under Smith, the Steelers improved from 28th to 16th in scoring, 25th to 23rd in yards and 13th to 11th in rushing.
Former Dallas Cowboys head coach and Pittsburgh native Mike McCarthy will also interview with the Bears on Wednesday. The Bears are casting a wide net, with 18 scheduled or completed interviews.
The Jets have 16 interviews schedule or completed for their opening. New York’s process may drag out longer than Chicago’s, because the Jets are also hiring a general manager at the same time. In addition to Smith, they are also expected to interview former Steelers assistant coach Brian Flores.