The Pittsburgh Steelers have likely already started compiling a list of possible head coach candidates to start their search. While there are a number of routes they could go, history shows a very specific type that the team often favors. Young, inexperienced, defensive-minded hires have carried them through almost six decades.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Steelers insider Gerry Dulac thinks they will follow that pattern once again.
“If history is any indication, the Steelers will hire a young, defensive-minded head coach, just like Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, and Mike Tomlin,” Dulac wrote in his weekly Steelers chat. “And I would also think there is zero chance they will hire a former head coach. That’s the equivalent of bringing in another veteran QB. They will want to start fresh.”
Our Alex Kozora compiled a wide-ranging list of potential candidates to consider with everything from relatively unknown coordinators to extremely experienced former head coaches. If Dulac’s thoughts are any indication, the latter won’t end up being a real consideration. Kozora listed four options who fit “The Young DC” archetype, including Chris Shula, Jeff Hafley, Jesse Minter, and Kelvin Sheppard. Some of the college names could probably also be thrown into that category despite a lack of NFL experience.
For what it’s worth, there were credible reports from national insiders linking the team to both Shula and Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman from before Tomlin even announced his resignation. Even if those don’t end up being the candidates, they both fit the mold that Dulac outlined as well as the team’s history.
The Steelers have broken precedent with a lot of things recently. Most notably, they fired Matt Canada in the middle of the 2023 season. That wasn’t something they ever did. And they started giving out precedent-breaking contracts to external free agents like DK Metcalf. It shouldn’t be entirely ruled out that the Steelers zig when everybody expects them to zag.
That being said, there is tremendous pressure on Art Rooney II, Daniel Martin Rooney, and Omar Khan to get this right. The safest way to do that is to follow the archetype that has worked for 60 years and delivered an NFL-high six Super Bowl wins over that time.
Dulac reiterated his point later in the chat.
“Absolutely no retreads. No former NFL head coach,” he wrote. “Younger for sure.”
Tomlin and Cowher were both 34 years old when they were hired, and Noll was 37. That youth allows a pretty long runway of continuity, and that’s something the Steelers very obviously value.
So while we are likely to hear speculation about coaches like Mike McCarthy and John Harbaugh, I wouldn’t expect that to be the direction the Steelers take.
Art Rooney II will speak to the media Wednesday afternoon and is likely to outline some of what the Steelers are looking for in their next head coach.