The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense improved in the 2024 season, and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith may have finished his tenure after just one season in the Steel City.
Pittsburgh made changes to its offense last offseason, bringing in quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields while also bringing in Smith as the offensive coordinator. After making these changes, the Steelers offense improved in nearly every offensive category, including total touchdowns, net passing yards, and rushing yards per game.
Smith is a former head coach and is drawing interest after a successful year in Pittsburgh. He is set to take head coaching interviews with the Chicago Bears and the New York Jets, according to Bleacher Report’s Julia Stumbaugh.
“Arthur Smith could be moving on after one season of directing the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense. Smith previously served as the Atlanta Falcons’ head coach,” Stumbaugh said. “He led the team to three straight 7-10 seasons before he was fired after the 2023 campaign. He was hired by the Steelers ahead of the 2024 season, which ended Saturday with a 28-14 Wild Card loss to the Baltimore Ravens.”
“The Jets interviewed Smith in January 2021, following his second season as offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans, before Smith went to Atlanta and the Jets hired Robert Saleh. The Jets could be looking for an offensively-focused coach after moving on from Saleh and interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich, both of whom came from defensive backgrounds. Smith’s offense in Pittsburgh leaned heavily on its rushing attack, finishing the season 11th in the NFL with 127.4 rushing yards per game.”
Story continues below advertisement
Both these teams had high expectations for their offenses going into 2024 but ranked in the bottom ten in points per game and total yards. Adding an offensive-minded head coach like Smith could revamp these teams with promising rosters.
More NFL: Steelers Listed As Potential Destination For Veteran Quarterback
Featured image via Eric Hartline/Imagn Images