Oddsmakers Not Buying Steelers OC Arthur Smith as Head Coach Candidate
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has had two teams request interviews with him for head coaching vacancies so far as the rest of the NFL enters its offseason, but oddsmakers don’t like his chances of landing either of those two jobs.
So far, both the New York Jets and Chicago Bears have officially requested interviews with Smith, who spent the last three seasons as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons before coming to Pittsburgh.
But it doesn’t seem that oddsmakers like his chances of landing either of those jobs. According to odds posted on Wednesday by Bet Online, Smith is well down the odds list for both jobs.
Smith has 16/1 odds of becoming the next Chicago Bears head coach. That’s 10th on the board, behind even-odds favorite, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury (9/2), Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn (5/1), Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator and former Steelers assistant coach Brian Flores (5/1), Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman (7/1), former Tennessee Titans head coach and Steelers outside linebacker Mike Vrabel (9/1), Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken (9/1), Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown (12/1) and New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka (14/1).
His odds of landing the Jets job are even worse, with Bet Online pegging Smith as a 28/1 underdog, 12th on the board. Glenn is the favorite to be the next leader of Gang Green at 2/1, followed by Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich (9/4), former Jets head coach Rex Ryan (5/2), Vrabel (15/4), Flores (7/1), former Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera (11/1), Minnesota Vikings quarterbacks coach John McCown (14/1), former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll (14/1), San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks coach Brian Griese (16/1), Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik (20/1), and Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph (22/1).
Even though only those two teams have inquired about Smith, he’s also listed as a long shot on two other coaching odds boards. He’s 33/1 to be the next head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders and also 33/1 to get the New England Patriots job. Vrabel, a former Patriots player with a long connection to current Raiders minority owner Tom Brady, is the favorite for both of those jobs simultaneously.
No team can interview Smith virtually until three days after the Steelers season ends, and no team can hold an in-person interview with him before Jan. 20.
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