PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith addressed the speculation that he may be involved in the coaching search at his alma mater North Carolina when speaking to the Pittsburgh media on Thursday.
Smith said that UNC had reached out to him as part of a preliminary search, and though he loves his alma mater, he is not focused on being a head coach at the college level right now.
“The reality is, they reached out on a preliminary call. I love that place, but that’s not my focus. I mean, I’ve got one of the best jobs in football right now. There’s a lot to be said to you can’t put a price on personal and professional happiness, which I have here. I love that place. I appreciate it.”
Smith said that his perspective has changed after his experience as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2021-23. After that stint as a head coach — the first of his coaching career — he doesn’t sound like someone that is desperate to get back to that place. He’s said multiple times this season how much he has enjoyed the burden of decisions being placed on Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin instead of his desk.
“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.”
Earlier on Thursday, Diana Russini of The Athletic reported that she expects Smith’s name to come up in NFL head coaching searches this offseason. Coaches have been flocking from the college ranks to the NFL in recent years, as NIL and transfer portal changes have dramatically increased the workload for collegiate coaches.