NFL insider Dianna Russini revealed in The Athletic that the New York Jets talked to now-Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith about a role helping Nathaniel Hackett. Essentially a de-facto OC position.
Smith rejected the offer, however, because the Jets were not clear about the role, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Smith also wasn’t all that interested. The opportunity to coach with Mike Tomlin and be a part of the Steelers organization was more appealing to Smith. Which makes sense since he would have basically been an advisor for Hackett in New York.
“The job Smith now has — Steelers offensive coordinator — is the one Smith wanted. Once it was offered, that was that,” Florio wrote.
Smith was on a layover in Dubai on his way to the Maldives with his wife when he got the call from Mike Tomlin asking if he was interested in the Steelers’ OC job. Smith didn’t cut his vacation short, but he flew to Pittsburgh shortly after landing in the United States.
At the NFL owner’s meetings in March, Tomlin explained what he saw in Smith that made him so favorable to what Pittsburgh has at quarterback and with their offensive personnel.
“First and foremost, man, I’ve competed against him over the years,” Tomlin said of Smith. “We’ve had some battles against Tennessee and then obviously we played him when he was in Atlanta. I respect his approach, the ball, his values are very evident in looking at his tape and they are aligned with things that we value controlling the game through our bigs and building from there and then I also got close relationships with some people who were really significant in his development and helped him establish some things that he strongly believes in, guys that I’ve had an opportunity to work with like much for example, and so it was really a great deal of comfort and beyond comfort. It was a great deal of excitement in terms of bringing him on board.”
The Jets offense was horrendous last season under Hackett, ranking 31st in yards per game, last in total touchdowns and third in turnovers. Star quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a season-ending torn Achilles just four snaps into the year, however. Rodgers, who also worked with Hackett for three seasons with the Green Bay Packers, is a staunch supporter of him.
“Well, you should trust me and I trust Nathaniel,” Rodgers said in an interview on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio in May. “So, to me, that’s end of story.
“There’s been a lot of BS that’s been said out there. There’s a lot of things that have gone on the last couple years that he’s dealt with that I think he’s handled very professionally. And at the end of the day, I think you gotta trust his and my working relationship and the conversations that we have. You gotta trust the staff.”
The Steelers host the Jets on Sunday Night Football in Week 7.