The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to interview their first candidate Friday in Green Bay Packers DC Jeff Hafley, per ESPN’s Peter Schrager. Until the divisional round of the playoff is complete, all currently employed candidates have to interview virtually, so this one won’t be in-person in Pittsburgh.

Busy 24 hours for Packers DC Jeff Hafley. He interviewed with the Falcons this morning, has an interview with the Raiders later today, and will interview with the Steelers tomorrow.

He’s already interviewed with Tennessee, Miami, and Arizona. @ESPNNFL pic.twitter.com/z1QdnhlA9M

— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) January 15, 2026

Hafley was the most recently reported interview request on Thursday morning but appears to be the first one actually interviewing with the team. Since this is a virtual meeting, it’s likely the Steelers will want to meet in person a second time if he passes through their first screening of candidates.

According to Schrager, Halfley interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons this morning and will do the same with the Las Vegas Raiders later on Thursday. He previously completed interviews with the Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins, and Arizona Cardinals. That is six of the eight current head coach openings around the league as one of the hotter names on the market this year.

The Steelers are the latest entrant into the market, so they couldn’t afford to waste time with the top candidates. That’s especially true after John Harbaugh reportedly chose the New York Giants. The first domino fell, which means there should be more coming in relatively short order.

If Pittsburgh is viewed as the top opening on the market because of its track record and stability, the late opening could potentially hold up the market further as candidates wait to complete their interview with the Steelers before making up their mind.

Hafley fits what the Steelers look for as a defensive coordinator with no previous NFL head coaching experience. He also has ties to the city and perhaps even knows some people in the building from his time with the Pittsburgh Panthers back in the late 2000s.

Virtual meetings allow for a good first step in the process as they can happen in rapid succession. Expect to hear about at least one more taking place on Friday or over the weekend as Pittsburgh works to catch up.