Steelers Could Lose OC to Patriots

Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has netted several interviews for head coaching jobs around the league thus far, though a lateral move has never appeared especially likely.

When highlighting the leading candidates to become the New England Patriots' next OC, however, ESPN's Mike Reiss threw Smith's name into the ring given his history with new head coach Mike Vrabel from their days together with the Tennessee Titans.

"Vrabel has the highest regard for Arthur Smith, his former Titans OC and current Pittsburgh Steelers OC," Reiss wrote. "Smith, a former head coach for the Atlanta Falcons, is a head coaching candidate with the New York Jets and Chicago Bears-- presumably taking him off the board."

Reiss made it clear that Smith packing his bags and heading to New England is not a likely scenario, but it's an interesting hypothetical nonetheless.

The Steelers would have to fire Smith or allow the Patriots permission to interview him for such a move to materialize, though neither outcome feels as though it's within the realm of possibility at this juncture.

Vrabel retained Smith, who was the Titans' tight ends coach at the time, when he was hired as the organization's head coach in 2018. He was later promoted to offensive coordinator for the 2019 campaign and helped the team reach the AFC Championship game that season before they finished 11-5 with an AFC South title in tow during the 2020 season as well.

Smith became the Atlanta Falcons' head coach in 2021, where he led the franchise to a 21-30 record before he was fired following the 2023 season.

In his first go-around as the Steelers' OC this year, the unit averaged 319.4 yards and 22.4 points per game, both of which were improvements from the team's 2023 marks of 304.3 and 17.9, respectively.

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