As the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare to host the Houston Texans in Monday night’s AFC wild card game, attention briefly shifted to the future of offensive coordinator Arthur Smith following reports of interest from his former organization.
Earlier on Tuesday, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that the Tennessee Titans plan to interview Smith for their vacant head coaching position. Smith spent a decade with the Titans from 2011–2020, including two seasons as the team’s offensive coordinator, before
later serving as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. He joined the Steelers’ coaching staff this season in his current role.
Speaking with reporters at the Steelers’ South Side facility, Smith confirmed that he has been contacted by the Titans but made it clear his focus remains firmly on Pittsburgh’s postseason run.
“That’s not something I’m going to focus on,” Smith said. “The only thing that matters is my current job. I tell people, live in the present, don’t worry about the future.”
Due to NFL policy, assistant coaches on playoff teams are prohibited from interviewing for head coaching vacancies until three days after their team’s season concludes. As a result, Smith cannot formally interview with Tennessee until at least three days after the Steelers’ wild card game, extending the timeline of the process by at least a week should Pittsburgh advance.
For now, Smith emphasized that his attention is solely on preparing the Steelers’ offense for Monday night, as the team looks to begin its postseason with a win and push deeper into the playoffs.
