The Pittsburgh Steelers are hiring longtime NFL coach Joe Whitt Jr. as the team’s assistant head coach, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Whitt will also work as a secondary coach.
As Pelissero notes, Whitt has a long history with head coach Mike McCarthy and reunite after spending more than a decade in Green Bay. He’s the latest hire to have strong ties to McCarthy previously.
The Steelers are hiring former Commanders DC Joe Whitt Jr. as assistant head coach/secondary coach, sources say.
Whitt, 47, spent 11 seasons on Mike McCarthy’s staff with the Packers. Now, they’re reunited in Pittsburgh. pic.twitter.com/8fwVxOVIJk
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 4, 2026
He previously served as the Washington Commanders’ defensive coordinator the past two seasons. But the unit’s 2025 struggles saw him stripped of his play calling duties midseason and fired after the year ended. Now, he’ll follow Jason Simmons, who he worked with in Washington, to Pittsburgh. Simmons holds the title of defensive pass game coordinator/secondary coach, meaning Whitt may be tabbed as an assistant defensive backs coach along with his assistant head coach title.
Whitt was on our list of potential coaches McCarthy could hire to his new staff. We listed him as an option as new defensive coordinator but noted a smaller role as an assistant would be ideal. That appears to be the team’s plan. Assistant head coach is often more of a ceremonial title, though Whitt could also assist McCarthy with challenge decisions and other in-game feedback on gamedays. During the Mike Tomlin era, longtime DL Coach John Mitchell held the title. No other coach had it after Mitchell retired following the 2022 season.
Whitt has coached in the NFL since 2007, breaking into the league as the Atlanta Falcons’ assistant DBs coach. The following year, McCarthy hired him as a defensive assistant. In 2009, he was promoted to cornerbacks coach and held the title through 2017. In 2018, he was elevated to the Packers’ pass game coordinator.
After McCarthy was fired in 2018, Whitt became the Cleveland Browns’ pass game coordinator/secondary coach in 2019. He held the same title with Atlanta in 2020 and was hired again by McCarthy with the Dallas Cowboys in 2021. In 2024, the Commanders poached him to become the team’s defensive coordinator.
In 2024, Washington ranked 18th in scoring defense, 13th in yards allowed, and 20th in takeaways. The unit struggled in the playoffs and allowed 55 points in the NFC Title Game against the Philadelphia Eagles, though four turnovers didn’t help the team’s cause. In 2025, Washington’s defense regressed to finish 27th in points allowed and dead last in yards.
Our Steelers’ coaching staff tracker is fully updated with Wednesday’s flurry of hirings.
Here’s Whitt’s complete bio below.