Steelers want to interview Nate Scheelhaase, Chris Shula, Brian Flores for head coach: ESPN
Uh As you know, uh, yesterday, uh, Coach Tomlin and I met and, uh, Mike informed me of his decision to, uh, step down as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. And, Uh, it was an emotional day for everybody, uh, in our organization yesterday. Mike’s been, uh, *** great, uh, leader of our franchise now for 19 years and led us with, uh, toughness, integrity, and, uh, always reflected the values of our organization. Uh, I think you all know his many accomplishments, uh, 2 Super Bowl appearances, 1 Super Bowl victory, uh, many AFC North titles. And, and many, many wins. And, uh, you know, bottom line was, uh, you know, we were always in contention with Mike and, uh, you know, that’s, uh, that’s what counts. More than his accomplishments, Mike was *** steady and respected leader, uh, cared deeply about our players, our staff, and the whole Steeler organization. He represented the Steelers with class and dignity every single day. And on behalf of my family, everyone connected with the Steelers, I want to thank Mike and his family for being part of Steelers football for the last 19 years. Uh, we’ll always be grateful. And now, obviously, we, uh, you know, we turn our search, uh, turn to our search for our next head coach. Uh, Omar and I will lead the search and, uh, we’ll rely on others in the organization to, uh, help as we go forward. So, uh, look forward to getting started with the search and, uh, starting with the, the next chapter of Steelers football. Open it up for questions or did you get, um, any sense over the past couple of weeks, months that, uh, Mike was possibly leaning? Uh, in this direction and, uh, uh, it was his decision alone. Well, it was his decision and, um, you know, I, I, uh, I will say that, uh, I wasn’t shocked, but, um, I wasn’t expecting that conversation yesterday either. Uh, so, uh, you know, there, there were, you know, when you get to this stage of *** career, obviously, uh, uh, he, he even mentioned it himself that he was nearer to the end than the beginning. And, and so, You know, you could see that coming and so as I say, I can’t say that I was shocked. Would you have been willing to give Mike the extension on his contract for 2027 in March, and did he ask for that? No, I’m not going to get into his contract at this point. We certainly, I was certainly willing to, uh, you know, take another run at it next year with Mike and, and, uh, and, uh, you know, that’s what I was expecting to talk about yesterday, but obviously went in *** different direction. And how long did that conversation last with Mike yesterday? Probably 15-20 minutes, something like that. How long before the uh team meeting did he let you know that that was going to be his plan, you know, I guess it was late morning or something like that. Every year there’s scrutiny and criticism that *** coach faced, but it may have reached *** different level this year with the fired Tom. Did you get *** sense of talking with him how maybe the fan reaction or negativity may have influenced his decision? You know, um, I think that, uh, I’ll leave it to him to explain to you someday what all went into his decision. I, I, I think that, uh, in my mind and the discussion we had, uh, it was probably more of *** family-related decision than *** football-related decision. But as I say, I, I, I don’t want to speak for Mike on that. What is the timeline of getting another coach in here? Perfect scenario for you. You know, I, I don’t want to put an exact time frame on it. We’ll, you know, we’ll get started right away, and, uh, you know, it’ll take weeks at least, I would say. Uh, you know, nowadays there are *** number of, uh, protocols we have to follow that are, are sort of really designed to slow the process down and, and so, uh, uh, as I say, it’ll it’ll probably take at least *** few weeks. Well, you guys haven’t done this very often over the years, but you’ve had it tight. Does young up and coming defensive coordinator still work as *** blueprint? Don’t you expand that. You know, for now, I don’t want to sort of put any real parameters around it. We’re, we’re gonna, you know, be, uh, an open book in terms of, you know, who we look for and, and the, uh, You know, the, the list that we build, uh, so, uh, yeah, can I sign up for another Chuck Noll or another Bill Cower or another Mike Tomlin? Sure, uh, but, you know, somebody that we, we feel fits that mold would be great, but, but, uh, you know, for now we’re not gonna kind of narrow the box too much. Can you along those same lines are what traits, what characteristics are important to this organization when you are looking for *** new head coach. You know, I think there are *** lot of things that go into being *** successful head coach. Uh, Number one, really, I think in my mind is, is leadership and really trusting that this person can stand up in front of your team day in and day out and hold their attention and, and, uh, you know, have them motivated to, to do what they do. So, uh, You know, that’s, that’s the most important. All right, can you explain exactly what’s left? Can you explain what’s left on Mike’s contract and how that will affect things moving forward? What he decides to do? I’m not gonna get into the contract today. I don’t, I don’t think that’s necessary at this point. Well, would there be *** lot of head coaches are, you know, looked at for being play callers, guys that are more heavily involved in the schematics, you know, I know having that leader of the room is important, but how much is maybe having that intertwined into the, into that, into the decision making and the search to find that next CEO. Coaches, I mean, look, as I said, there’s ***, there’s *** lot that goes into it, *** lot of qualities that you look for, uh, and, uh, obviously, obviously somebody that has the experience of, of, uh, doing what we need them to do is gonna be key. When you do this as infrequently as you have, uh, it’s been *** long time. What do you remember about the search for Mike, how involved were you in that process? Is there anything that you remember from that time that is, uh, fresh in your mind as you go forward into this? Yeah, I mean, look, I, I’ve been involved in *** number of searches going back to Coach Cower and uh obviously GM searches and, uh, you know, I think when you start the search, I think if I’ve learned anything, it’s to have an open mind. Uh, you know, we, when we had Mike in for his first interview, uh, I certainly wasn’t expecting that he was gonna be our next head coach. And, and, uh, so you just, I think you go through the process and, and be diligent. And you know, hopefully you come out with the right guy. Obviously you were happy with the job that Mike was doing and didn’t necessarily expect that he was going to tell you he was leaving, but you also weren’t surprised. With that in mind, have you had an eye or just looked around over the last couple of years of guys that could possibly be in line that you would be interested in interviewing if there was *** head coach opening? Uh, not really. I haven’t spent *** lot of time doing that, to be honest. You won’t talk about the contract itself, but obviously he’s still under contract. It could be compensation or trade. Is that something that did he indicate he might want to coach again, and would you be interested in something like that? You know, Mike indicated that he did not anticipate coaching, uh, at least in the near future. I think he wants to spend time with his family and do some of the kinds of things he hasn’t been able to do for the last, you know, many, many years. And so. You know, if, if something like that comes up, we’ll, we’ll deal with it when it comes up. But right now, uh, that doesn’t seem to be on his radar. All right. Uh, Kind of take upon *** maybe *** day to day level with Mike, *** personal, like, what are you gonna miss most about the everyday interaction with him. Moving forward, not knowing that my team is not in. I mean, Mike’s great to work with day in and day out, uh, just an incredible presence in the building, uh, you know, someone that you walk into *** meeting and, you know, discuss what, what needs to be done and, and that, that’s the plan. Uh, so no, no backtracking on things, no, uh, sort of hidden agendas, anything like that. Great, great to work with. Would you anticipate anybody currently on Mike’s staff being *** candidate for his replacement or his idea. For somebody else outside. Um, you know, right now I don’t think that anybody on our staff is, is, uh, *** candidate, uh, uh, maybe *** candidate to, to stay on the staff, you know, depending on what the new head coach wants to do, but, uh, probably not as *** head coach. All right, in terms of that, what, with the new head coach, will you open that door for them to create *** staff, or do you want *** hand in that? No, I, that’s, you know, *** big part of, you know. The search for *** new head coach is really understanding their ideas about the staff and who they would want to hire. So yeah, that’s an important part of the new coach Art, I mean, will he have as much say in player personnel as Mike did, or will the dynamics and chain of command kind of shift *** little bit with how long Omar has been in his role? I don’t think I anticipate really changing our structure or chain of command. I expect *** new head coach. Like Bill Cower, like Mike Tomlin, like Chuck Noll, we’ll be very involved in preparing for the draft and, and, uh, uh, working closely with Omar and his staff and making sure we’re ready. All right, I know you said you don’t have *** timeline, but is there *** date that you kind of need *** head coach by maybe like the combine or something like that? I mean, if, if you have to put an outside date on it, certainly the combine would be, uh, would be nice to have one before then, yes. Mike was close with *** lot of the veteran players. Do you foresee this maybe leading to *** roster reset where you will get younger because of this? Yeah, I think it’s, uh, it’s too early to say what effect it’s going to have on the roster, that, you know, the new coach obviously is gonna have *** lot to say in that. And so, uh, you know, we’ll have that discussion when the time comes. following up on that, uh, you guys have had *** type of 3-4 defense and then you guys have developed players around that identity. How much is that involved in your search? Is that something that you guys are prioritizing finding the coach and then we’ll figure out adjusting the roster after the fact. Well, I think part of the discussion with candidates will be our roster and how they view our roster, what they would do with our roster, and making sure we, we’re all comfortable with that, that plan. Mike had you listed Mike’s numerous accomplishments, the Super Bowls. He also had the streak of, of not having *** win in the playoffs in the last 9 years. How do you kind of characterize the Mike Tomlin era of the Pittsburgh Steelers? You know, it’s been *** winning era. Uh, as I said before, always in contention. Uh, so I think when you start with that, you have the opportunity to, to take the next step. You know, I can’t explain kind of the, the more recent history there. It’s hard, hard to explain given the overall track record. Uh, uh, frustrating for all of us, mostly for Mike and uh But, uh, but all in all, you know, I’ll take being in contention every year and, and having *** shot at it. Do you get *** sense that the recent history that that lack of playoff success was something that had been weighing on Mike be factored into this decision. You know, I, I can’t say, again, I, I’d leave it to Mike to kind of talk about what factored into his decision. I’ve already said to me it was more *** family decision than *** football decision, um, so I’ll leave it at that. You mentioned *** couple of times about saying every year had *** chance. There’s *** school of thought. *** lot of people say tear it down, build it back up. There’s been or get *** high draft pick. That seems to be *** big talking point, um, amongst media and fans and everything. And you disagree with that philosophy that you’d rather be every year right there. Yeah, I mean, I’m not sure why you, you waste *** year of your life and not, not trying to contend. Uh, obviously, your roster is what it is every year, it changes every year, and so you deal with, you know, what you have every year and try to, to, you know, put yourself in *** position to compete every year. And sometimes you, you have the horses, sometimes you don’t, but I think you try every year. This is *** team president, as the head of the organization, you have your most valued employee telling you that he wants to resign. Do you try to talk him out of it? I did not. I mean, you know, he was pretty clear about what his intentions were, and so I think. You know, we, we had *** great conversation and, and I understood where he was. I know you like Mike being *** good football coach. Um, I mean, like when he was talking about the reasons for it, you said you weren’t shocked. You were surprised you had the conversation, but you weren’t shocked. Why? What did you see? What did you sense that you weren’t shocked that he made this call? just the sense. I mean, I’m not sure I can get into *** lot of details with you on it, uh, but, you know, just again, when you’re going into 1819 years of Of *** career like this, you know, he said it himself, he knows it’s not going to go forever. So I mean, I think, I think I knew, I think we all knew that we were getting toward the end. Art, I know the standard is the standard has been *** motto around here from Tomlin for *** long time. What are you going to express to the new coach of what the standard is here in Pittsburgh? The standard is to try to compete to win *** championship every year. Or, or that, that being said, um, you know, it’s an unusual position. Usually teams are looking for coaches are looking for coaches because it hasn’t gone well. This is sort of not that case. It’s the expectation of whoever comes in in that you guys should expect to be in contention by the way. Like I said, uh, you know, I’m not going to say, well, we’re, you know, we’re going to take *** couple of years to figure this out, and then we’ll, then we’ll try to compete. So, uh, I think you try every year. I mean, uh, you know, and as I said, some years you have the horses to really get there, some years you don’t, but you, you try every year in my, in my view. Do you think this impacts Aaron Rodgers at all? Yeah, I think, I mean, look, Aaron came here to play for Mike, so I think it, it, uh, will most likely affect his decision. Obviously Mark, you mentioned horses. How important is it? Uh, you know, to find, you look at the quarterbacks left in the playoffs, I mean 7 of the 8 are first-round guys. How important is that still on the priority list regardless of who the coaches when you get to the, to the free agency in the draft. You know, I’m, I’m sure the quarterback position will be an important part of this discussion with the, the candidates, and, and, uh, you know, we’ll have to develop ***, you know, *** plan for going forward. Uh, 2 more, you said, you said leadership was, uh, the number one quality you look for in *** coach. How about like innovation? How important is it for this coach to be innovative, not just in Xs and O’s, but also how you guys scout, how you guys prepare for. You know, I, I think, uh, every, every coach I’m sure we talked to will have *** little different idea of his approach, and, and it’ll be interesting to, to hear from people about that. And he always learns something, you know, during this interview process. So, uh, uh, it, it’ll, like I said, it’ll be interesting to hear maybe different perspectives on how to approach it. With, with this change, do you expect this to be *** total rebuild? Uh, you know, I, I, I don’t, no, I don’t know if it’s *** rebuild. I mean, it’s *** new coach, so there will be changes and, and, you know, we’ll, we’ll have to all get comfortable with kind of the plan. So, you know, whether you call it *** rebuild or not, I, I, you know, I, I, I don’t like, like that word that much. Uh, you know, we’ll, we’ll try to compete day one if we can. All right. Thank you.
Steelers want to interview Nate Scheelhaase, Chris Shula, Brian Flores for head coach: ESPN
Updated: 4:54 PM EST Jan 14, 2026
The Steelers reportedly want to interview one of their former assistants and two Los Angeles Rams coordinators in the search for Pittsburgh’s new head coach.VIDEO ABOVE: Steelers President Art Rooney II talks about Mike Tomlin’s departure and the search for a head coachInterviews have been requested with Rams passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase and defensive coordinator Chris Shula, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Wednesday.The Rams are preparing for a divisional playoff game against the Chicago Bears this weekend, so it’s unclear when the interviews may happen.Pittsburgh’s AFC North rivals, Baltimore and Cleveland, have also requested an interview with Scheelhaase for head coach, according to the report.Brian Flores, the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, is another name on Pittsburgh’s list of interview requests, Schefter reported.Flores was a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach for the Steelers during the 2022 season.The Steelers are launching a head coaching search for the first time in 19 years after Mike Tomlin stepped down Tuesday.
PITTSBURGH —
The Steelers reportedly want to interview one of their former assistants and two Los Angeles Rams coordinators in the search for Pittsburgh’s new head coach.
VIDEO ABOVE: Steelers President Art Rooney II talks about Mike Tomlin’s departure and the search for a head coach
Interviews have been requested with Rams passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase and defensive coordinator Chris Shula, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Wednesday.
The Rams are preparing for a divisional playoff game against the Chicago Bears this weekend, so it’s unclear when the interviews may happen.
Pittsburgh’s AFC North rivals, Baltimore and Cleveland, have also requested an interview with Scheelhaase for head coach, according to the report.
AP/Getty Images
Nate Scheelhaase, Chris Shula
Brian Flores, the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, is another name on Pittsburgh’s list of interview requests, Schefter reported.
Flores was a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach for the Steelers during the 2022 season.
Keith Srakocic
Brian Flores
The Steelers are launching a head coaching search for the first time in 19 years after Mike Tomlin stepped down Tuesday.