The Steelers are casting a wide net in their search for a new offensive coordinator under recently hired head coach Mike McCarthy, and one familiar name has surfaced: Scott Tolzien. According to reports, Pittsburgh has officially reached out to the New Orleans Saints to request an interview with Tolzien, who currently serves as their quarterbacks coach.
This move wouldn’t come out of nowhere. Tolzien has a long-standing connection with McCarthy, dating back to their time together in Green Bay from 2013 to 2015.
Back then, Tolzien was a backup quarterback learning the nuances of the position under McCarthy’s watch. Now, a decade later, there’s a chance he could be calling plays for him.
If the Steelers do bring Tolzien aboard, he’d be the latest addition to what’s starting to look like a Green Bay reunion tour in Pittsburgh. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and offensive line coach James Campen have already joined McCarthy’s staff-both of whom also spent time with him during his Packers tenure. There’s clearly a pattern here, and it’s one that suggests McCarthy is building a staff rooted in familiarity and shared philosophy.
Tolzien, 38, has been quietly climbing the coaching ladder since stepping away from the playing field. After going undrafted out of Wisconsin in 2011, he signed with the Chargers but was waived before the regular season.
He landed with the 49ers and eventually found his way to Green Bay, where he spent three seasons backing up Aaron Rodgers. He later had a stint with the Colts before calling it a career in 2018.
From there, Tolzien transitioned into coaching, starting as an analyst at his alma mater before joining the Cowboys in 2020. He worked under McCarthy in Dallas, gradually rising through the ranks to become the team’s quarterbacks coach in 2023. After two seasons in that role, he wasn’t retained when Brian Schottenheimer was promoted to head coach.
The Saints brought Tolzien on as their quarterbacks coach ahead of the 2025 season under new head coach Kellen Moore. Now, just a year later, he’s on the radar for a potential OC role in Pittsburgh.
As a player, Tolzien’s NFL résumé includes appearances in 10 games with a 60.3% completion rate, 1,065 passing yards, two touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a rushing score. While those numbers didn’t exactly light up the stat sheet, they don’t tell the full story of a guy who’s since carved out a promising path in coaching.
If McCarthy is looking for a coordinator who understands his system inside and out, Tolzien checks that box. He knows the terminology, the concepts, and the expectations.
And perhaps most importantly, he’s someone McCarthy clearly trusts. Whether that trust translates into a full-time OC gig remains to be seen-but the Steelers are doing their homework.