Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is likely to be a head coach candidate during the offseason cycle once again. Last year, he had multiple interviews but did not land a job.
This season, the Tennessee Titans, who have plenty of history with Smith at the helm, have already requested for him to interview for the job.
Yet, when asked about the job connections, Smith said he is focused on this week’s game against the Houston Texans. If the Steelers were to lose to the Texans, Smith could interview for the Titans job three days after the loss on Monday.
“I was just informed of it, but here’s the thing: The NFL cycle is what it is. Obviously, I appreciate somebody (asking), but that’s not something I’m focused on, because the only thing that matters is my current job,” Smith said. “It’s like I try to tell people all the time, live in the present. If you have perspective, if you life experiences, you’re wasting time thinking about the future. You deal with that, just like anything, in the offseason. You deal with it. Anything like that is a distraction. All of my focus is on our guys, these guys and anything I take away from that, I’m not doing my job. So all I care about is the Steelers and our players.”
In 2021, Smith was hired as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, but lasted three years before he was fired by owner Arthur Blank.
Smith is the one with the most direct connection to the Titans organization. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Smith’s rise in Tennessee was no coincidence.
Meanwhile, he also turned down the North Carolina head coaching job a year ago before the school settled on Bill Belichick. Smith went to North Carolina, but turned down his alma mater after boosters and the school approached him to take on the job.