The NFL coaching carousel is in full spin this offseason, and few teams are feeling the heat quite like the Pittsburgh Steelers. With longtime head coach Mike Tomlin stepping away after the team’s playoff exit at the hands of the Houston Texans, Pittsburgh finds itself in unfamiliar territory - searching for a new leader on the sidelines for the first time in nearly two decades.
But they’re not alone in this shake-up. Across the league, some of the most established names are on the move.
Sean McDermott is out in Buffalo, and John Harbaugh has already landed on his feet, taking the reins with the New York Giants. Kevin Stefanski, formerly of the Browns, is heading south to coach the Atlanta Falcons.
While none of those names were expected to be serious candidates in Pittsburgh, their quick reassignments underscore just how fast the market is moving.
And on Monday night, another domino fell - one that could indirectly impact the Steelers' search. The Miami Dolphins locked in Jeff Hafley, the former Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator, as their next head coach.
Hafley had been a hot commodity, with multiple interviews lined up across the league, including one with Pittsburgh. But Miami didn’t wait around, swooping in before he could explore other options.
Now, Hafley may not have been the frontrunner in Pittsburgh, but his hire is still significant. Every filled job tightens the pool of available candidates, and with ten head coaching vacancies in total this cycle - three already spoken for - the clock is ticking for teams still in the hunt. The Steelers can’t afford to let the perfect candidate slip away while others act decisively.
Pittsburgh has already cast a wide net. Last week, the team conducted virtual interviews with seven candidates:
- Ejiro Evero (Panthers DC)
- Jeff Hafley (Packers DC, now Dolphins HC)
- Klay Kubiak (49ers passing game coordinator)
- Jesse Minter (Chargers DC)
- Nate Scheelhaase (Rams assistant)
- Chris Shula (Rams DC)
- Anthony Weaver (Dolphins assistant HC/DL coach)
Now that Hafley is off the board, the Steelers are shifting their focus to in-person interviews this week. One name that continues to generate buzz is Chris Shula.
The Rams' defensive coordinator has emerged as a top-tier candidate in this cycle. In fact, only the Falcons and Bills haven't requested to speak with him - and the Falcons are now off the board with Stefanski in place.
The Steelers are reportedly high on Shula, but there’s a catch: due to NFL rules, they can't meet with him in person until next week at the earliest. That delay could prove costly, especially with other teams circling.
And perhaps more pressing than Hafley’s hire is what’s brewing in Buffalo. With the Bills now in the market for a new head coach - and with Josh Allen under center - their job instantly becomes one of the most attractive on the board.
That kind of allure could easily shift the landscape, pulling top candidates in a different direction and forcing teams like Pittsburgh to adjust on the fly.
Right now, the Steelers have a plan, and there's no need to abandon it just yet. But the window to act is narrowing. If the coaching carousel keeps spinning at this pace, Pittsburgh may have to make a move sooner than they’d like - or risk missing out on their top choice altogether.