Headlines

Pittsburgh Steelers News & Rumors

Chris Shula Arranges Ravens, Steelers, Dolphins HC Interviews

By | at January 16, 2026 9:02 am

With preparation for the team’s divisional round game reaching its conclusion, a number of Rams staffers will spend Friday conducting initial interviews for head coaching positions. That includes Chris Shula. 

Los Angeles’ defensive coordinator is among the most popular candidates on the coaching market this year. All but one team with a HC vacancy has submitted an interview request in his case, and Shula figures to be busy over the coming days. He will speak with the Ravens, Steelers and Dolphins today, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reports.

All three of those teams have cast a wide net in terms of candidates, but it comes as little surprise Shula is a target in each case. The 39-year-old has drawn praise for his work leading the Rams’ defense over the past two years. Prior to replacing Raheem Morris as the team’s DC, Shula held a number of roles in Los Angeles. He also has one year of defensive coordinator experience at the college level (albeit with Division-III program John Carroll).

The grandson of Don Shula, Chris is one of many staffers with a defensive background who has drawn considerable interest in this year’s cycle. That, coupled with his age, would certainly make him a logical fit with Pittsburgh in particular. The Steelers opted for a first-time head coach in their 30s with experience on defense for each of their last three HC hires (Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, Mike Tomlin). Shula is among the top options available who fit that description.

Pittsburgh could still take the route of an offensive coach, with the team having shown interest in candidates from that side of the ball as well. The same is also true of Baltimore; the team’s search for a John Harbaugh replacement includes a wide range of targets. Several ex-head coaches have interviewed already, but less experienced staffers have received a look as well. Shula is no doubt one of the main candidates on the latter front for Baltimore and other teams.

Don Shula spent 26 years of his illustrious head coaching career in Miami, so Chris would face the challenge of filling very large shoes in the event he were to take on HC duties there. The Dolphins have a long-running streak of hiring first-time coaches, and tapping one with a defensive background would mark a notable departure from the Mike McDaniel era. With longtime Packers exec Jon-Eric Sullivan now in place as general manager, many have pointed to Jeff Hafley as a likely Dolphins hire. Miami will of course speak with other candidates, however.

Per NFL rules, each of these interviews must be conducted remotely. The first round of meetings for staffers in Shula’s position (those set to participate in this weekend’s games) must be completed before the end of the divisional round. As such, a full list of his potential destinations will soon emerge.

5 comments Baltimore Ravens Los Angeles Rams Miami Dolphins Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers Request HC Interview With 49ers OC Klay Kubiak

By | at January 15, 2026 5:19 pm

Klint Kubiak is one of the most popular names in this year’s hiring cycle. Now, his brother is starting to generate some interest. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Steelers have requested an interview with 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak for their head coaching vacancy.

Kubiak started his NFL coaching career in 2021, when he joined Kyle Shanahan‘s 49ers staff as a defensive quality control coach. He quickly earned a promotion to assistant quarterbacks coach, and after two years in that role, he was named the team’s offensive passing game specialist.

The 49ers operated without an offensive coordinator after Mike McDaniel left for the Dolphins in 2022. But with Shanahan deciding to shake up his staff last offseason, Kubiak earned a promotion to offensive coordinator.

The 49ers offense improved their points total in 2025 despite dealing with a number of injuries on offense. The team had to turn to backup QB Mac Jones for nearly half their games, with the signal-caller guiding the squad to a 5-3 record. Former first-round receiver Ricky Pearsall found himself in and out of the lineup, and tight end George Kittle missed a handful of games. Plus, the 49ers navigated the entire season without one of their highest-paid offensive weapons in Brandon Aiyuk.

Thanks to the surprising showing from the depleted 49ers offense, Kubiak is now generating interest from the Steelers for their head coaching vacancy. His father, Gary Kubiak, had multiple stints as an NFL head coach, while his brother, Klint Kubiak, has been connected to nearly every vacancy after guiding the Seahawks offense to one of the league’s top performances in 2025.

Now, Klay will garner his first HC interview, and he joins a growing list of candidates to replace Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh. While Kubiak doesn’t have the same resume as some of his competitors for the job, the Steelers haven’t been afraid of hiring inexperienced coaches in the past. Tomlin only served one season as a defensive coordinator before earning Pittsburgh’s HC job.

Kubiak is now the eighth coach to garner an interview request from the Steelers:

8 comments Pittsburgh Steelers San Francisco 49ers

Steelers Request HC Interview With Packers DC Jeff Hafley

By | at January 15, 2026 1:02 pm

The Steelers requested to interview Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley for their head coaching vacancy, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Hafley, 46, has become one of the most popular head coaching candidates in this year’s hiring cycle. He came up as a defensive backs coach with multiple college programs before making the jump to the NFL in 2012. After seven seasons with three different teams, he returned to college as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator, which he quickly parlayed into a four-year stint as Boston College’s head coach.

In 2024, the Packers made a bold move to fire defensive coordinator Joe Barry, despite his solid results in his three years in charge. They installed Hafley as his replacement in the hopes that he could turn a good unit into a great one.

He succeeded. In Hafley’s debut year, the Packers finished sixth in points allowed and fifth in yards allowed, both significant improvements from their 2023 rankings. They took a step back to 11th and 12th this year, though losing Micah Parsons – arguably the best defensive player in the NFL – to a torn ACL certainly contribute to some of their struggles down the stretch.

Hafley’s players have generally given him rave reviews, specifically regarding his ability to build relationships with his players. That was a hallmark of Mike Tomlin‘s 19 years in Pittsburgh and something the franchise will likely look for in his successor. He has also worked with both Matt LaFleur and Kyle Shanahan, giving him some connections he can call on when building his staff. His recent history at Boston College may also give him a stronger chance of bringing some college coaching talent to the NFL.

Hafley has also received head coaching interest from the Cardinals, Falcons, Raiders, Dolphins, Titans, and Giants, though that last job no longer seems to be available. Here’s a full overview of the Steelers’ current candidates:

3 comments Green Bay Packers Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers Submit HC Interview Request For Ejiro Evero

By | at January 15, 2026 10:46 am

The Steelers are slightly behind other teams in terms of seeking out candidates for their head coaching vacancy. They continue to move quickly in establishing a list of initial targets, though.

Pittsburgh has requested an interview with Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. That represents the fifth active NFL DC to receive a slip from the Steelers. Owner Art Rooney II left the door open to a deviation in approach with respect to finding Mike Tomlin‘s replacement during yesterday’s remarks, but for now a blueprint appears to be in place which is similar to previous Pittsburgh searches.

Tomlin, just like Bill Cowher and Chuck Noll before him, was a young coaching candidate with a defensive background at the time of his hire. No member of that trio had been a head coach at the NFL level when they took charge of the Steelers. Evero fits the same profile, and it will be interesting to see if he or another one of the staffers in a similar position emerges as a finalist.

Evero signed an extension with the Panthers prior to the start of the 2025 campaign. The 45-year-old can be expected to continue his Carolina tenure into next season and beyond as a result, unless of course he lands a head coaching opportunity. Evero has received interview requests from the Falcons and Raiders as part of their ongoing searches. Interest on the Steelers’ part has now emerged as well, confirming Evero’s status as one of the top defensive coaches on the market.

After one season as the Broncos’ DC, Evero took the same position in Carolina. Results have varied over the past three seasons, with Carolina undergoing a number of roster changes during that span. In 2023, though, Evero’s unit ranked fourth in the league in points allowed. The Panthers finished mid-pack in both total and scoring defense this season en route to a postseason appearance.

Here is an updated look at where things stand early in the Steelers’ search:

4 comments Carolina Panthers Pittsburgh Steelers

Lions To Conduct Zac Robinson OC Interview; Team Requests Arthur Smith Meeting

By | at January 15, 2026 9:53 am

The Lions‘ search for a new offensive coordinator continues to expand. Current Falcons OC Zac Robinson is the latest candidate to line up an interview.

Robinson will speak with Detroit today about the position, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. That makes two teams interested in his case. The Buccaneers have already interviewed Robinson for their OC opening. With a Todd Monken reunion seemingly unlikely, Tampa Bay could show continued interest in his case.

The Falcons in the process of finding a new head coach and general manager. Once Raheem Morris‘ replacement is in place, several new staffers will no doubt be brought in. Knowing a change of scenery is likely, Robinson is exploring his options on the coaching market. A Lions agreement would make plenty of sense in his case.

From 2019-23, Robinson worked on the Rams’ staff. That time included a pair of seasons working alongside quarterback Jared Goff. A Detroit hire would thus pave the way for a reunion between Robinson and Goff with the Lions looking to rebound from a poor showing during John Morton‘s one-and-done campaign in the offensive coordinator role.

Detroit is also among the teams interested in Arthur Smith. An interview request has been submitted for the Steelers OC, Rapoport reports. Smith has been connected to multiple head coaching openings, but a lateral move to a new coordinator gig could be in store as well. Pittsburgh will have a new head coach relatively soon, so considerable movement elsewhere on the staff is likely.

Smith’s tenure as head coach of the Falcons produced three straight 7-10 seasons, but it was preceded by a Titans OC gig which boosted his stock. For the past two seasons, the 43-year-old has called plays for the Steelers. Pittsburgh has finished 16th and 15th in scoring during Smith’s time with the team. Stronger production would be expected in the case of the Lions, a team which flourished under Ben Johnson and is looking to duplicate his level of success.

Detroit has previously been linked to Jake Peetz and Tee Martin as OC candidates. The Lions have also set up interviews with former head coaches in the form of Mike McDaniel and Mike Kafka. Robinson’s meeting will add to the list of targets, and it will be interesting to see if Smith pursues an interview amongst head coaching interest.

6 comments Atlanta Falcons Detroit Lions Pittsburgh Steelers

Teams Contact Steelers On Mike Tomlin’s Rights; Tomlin Not Planning To Coach In 2026

By | at January 14, 2026 10:40 pm

As the Saints’ Sean Payton situation reminded earlier this decade, a coach stepping away while under contract can be valuable to a team. New Orleans fetched first- and second-round picks from Denver in a 2023 trade for Payton’s rights. The Steelers will be in a similar position after Mike Tomlin‘s exit.

Teams are already seeing if a Tomlin trade is viable. Clubs have reached out to the Steelers following Tomlin’s decision to resign, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. Calls came in hours after Tomlin’s exit, and while this process should be relevant in the not-too-distant future, Rapoport indicates the interested teams were told Tomlin is not planning to coach in 2026.

[RELATED: Art Rooney II Addresses Steelers’ Post-Tomlin Situation]

One interested team was told Tuesday Tomlin was not planning to take an interview, The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson tweets. It appears that view may apply to the full 2026 market. Tomlin gave Art Rooney II no indication (via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac) he plans to coach in the near future, potentially tabling any trade market for multiple offseasons.

Tomlin, 53, is believed to have drawn interest from CBS, ESPN, FOX and NBC for an analyst role. Two years remain on Tomlin’s Steelers contract, something that would need to be revisited if/when Tomlin wants to coach again.

The Steelers have seen this scenario play out before. Bill Cowher walked away after the 2006 season, heading to CBS. Cowher, however, remains with the network nearly two decades later. Cowher was 49 when he stepped down after 15 years as Steelers HC. Tomlin was believed to have having thoughts about walking away before the 2025 season began, and his quick exit following Pittsburgh’s wild-card loss to Houston all but confirmed this has been on the longtime leader’s mind for a while.

A report before the Steelers’ wild-card game indicated TV interest had emerged, with Tomlin having a standing invite from networks if he decided to leave coaching. It will be interesting to see where Tomlin lands. Payton joined FOX shortly after his Saints exit, but rumors about his 2023 destination swirled over the ensuing months. Payton became a coveted coaching commodity on the 2023 carousel, eventually ending up with the Broncos. Payton, 59 when hired in Denver, has led the Broncos to back-to-back playoff berths. His team will debut in these playoffs as the No. 1 seed Saturday.

It took less of a trade package for the Buccaneers to land one-and-done CBS game analyst Bruce Arians in 2019. Tampa Bay sent Arizona a sixth-round pick and collected a seventh in return for the then-66-year-old HC’s rights. Tomlin would fetch more in a swap. While he does not bring a play-calling acumen Payton did, the quotable ex-Steelers leader established one of the highest floors in coaching history by going 19 years without a losing season. Tomlin ventured to 13 playoff brackets, won eight AFC North titles and appeared in two Super Bowls. The Steelers won Super Bowl XLIII, giving Tomlin a strong chance at the Hall of Fame down the road.

While the Steelers could have a chance to recoup notable draft capital for Tomlin’s rights — possibly as soon as 2027 — they must conduct their first coaching search in 19 years. Brian Flores, who stopped through Pittsburgh in 2022 as Tomlin gave him a rebound opportunity as linebackers coach (with his discrimination lawsuit in its early stages), has come up as a name to monitor. The Steelers also looked into Marcus Freeman, but he is staying at Notre Dame.

Rams DC Chris Shula came up as a connected name in Pittsburgh as well, SI.com’s Albert Breer tweets. Shula, 39, has received interview requests from the Cardinals, Ravens, Raiders, Dolphins, Giants and Titans thus far. The popular candidate could be added in Pittsburgh soon, but no requests have come out. The Steelers have traditionally gone young with their HCs, hiring Tomlin and Cowher at 34.

34 comments Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers Request HC Interviews With Jesse Minter, Brian Flores, Anthony Weaver

By | at January 14, 2026 10:35 pm

The Steelers continue adding candidates in their search for a new head coach. They’ve requested interviews with Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, Vikings D-coordinator Brian Flores and Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver, per reports from Tom Pelissero of NFL Network and Dianna Russini of The Athletic.

Looking for a replacement for Mike Tomlin, whose 19-year run with the franchise ended Tuesday, the Steelers previously sent out interview requests for Rams assistants Chris Shula and Nate Scheelhaase. Aside from Scheelhaase, all of the Steelers’ early candidates come with a defensive background. The same was true of Tomlin when the Steelers hired him in January 2007.

Minter doesn’t have any head coaching experience, but his strong work as an assistant has made him a hot commodity across the league. All nine teams with a head coaching vacancy have either requested an interview or have conducted one with the 42-year-old, who has effectively teamed with Jim Harbaugh over the past few seasons.

Minter was Harbaugh’s D-coordinator at Michigan from 2022-23. He followed Harbaugh to the Chargers after a national championship-winning campaign with the Wolverines. The Chargers’ defense has ranked near the top of the league in back-to-back seasons under Minter. The unit finished 2024 first in scoring and 11th in yards, and it ranked ninth in scoring and fifth in yards this season.

Flores, who went 24-25 as the Dolphins’ head coach from 2019-21, was on Tomlin’s staff in Pittsburgh in 2022. He served as a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach that year. Flores then left to run the Vikings’ defense, a group that finished 2025 third in yards and seventh in points. Flores’ contract is now up after three successful seasons, but head coach Kevin O’Connell has made it known that retaining him is a high priority. However, the Vikings will have to fend off teams that consider Flores a head coaching candidate and others that want him as a defensive coordinator.

Weaver has already held head coaching interviews with the Cardinals, Falcons and Ravens in the past week. A former defensive lineman with the Ravens and Texans from 2002-08, Weaver has coached with those two teams and the Jets, Bills, Browns and Dolphins since 2012. He was the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator from 2024-25, but with head coach Mike McDaniel out, Weaver’s future in Miami is uncertain. Even if the 45-year-old doesn’t leave the Dolphins for a head coaching job, he could be an assistant elsewhere in 2026.

18 comments Los Angeles Chargers Miami Dolphins Minnesota Vikings Pittsburgh Steelers

WR Adam Thielen Announces Retirement

By | at January 14, 2026 10:33 pm

Retirement rumors followed Adam Thielen in 2025, and the veteran wide receiver will indeed step away from the game. The 13-year vet announced his retirement Wednesday following a late-season Steelers cameo.

Suiting up with Pittsburgh after a waiver claim, Thielen was with three teams in 2025. The Panthers traded Thielen to the Vikings in August, giving the accomplished pass catcher a chance to return home to a team attempting to follow up its 14-3 campaign with another playoff berth. As that fizzled, Thielen wound up on a postseason-bound club after the Steelers claimed his contract in December.

Once Minnesota moved on, it became known Thielen would retire after the season. He played an auxiliary role in the Steelers’ loss to the Texans on Monday night, catching two passes for 25 yards. Thielen also posted a 1,000-yard season as a Panther in 2023. But he will be best remembered for his contributions in his home state.

Playing 11 seasons with the Vikings, Thielen ranks in the top five in receptions, yardage and touchdown catches with the franchise. His 55 TD grabs as a Viking trail only Cris Carter and Randy Moss in team history. For his career, Thielen caught 64 touchdown passes, adding nine with Carolina. No additional scores came with Pittsburgh, but the former UDFA did carve out a role as Aaron Rodgers searched for tertiary targets alongside D.K. Metcalf.

Starring at Division II Minnesota State, Thielen became one of the most unlikely wide receiver success stories by catching on with the Vikings after a rookie minicamp tryout. Following a 2013 redshirt year of sorts, Thielen became a key player during the Mike Zimmer seasons. After finishing with fewer than 150 receiving yards in 2014 and ’15, Thielen erupted for 967 during Sam Bradford‘s 2016 Minnesota season and sustained that momentum after that year. Thielen eclipsed 1,200 yards in 2017 and ’18, topping out with a career-high 1,373 in Kirk Cousins‘ Vikes debut, and saw his first stint with the franchise last through the 2022 season.

The Vikings gave Thielen two extensions during his initial Twin Cities tenure. Minnesota re-upped Thielen on a four-year, $19.25MM extension in 2017 — after the team had applied a second-round RFA tender. That proved to be incredibly team-friendly, and the Vikings returned to the table to give their then-Stefon Diggs complement a four-year, $64.8MM deal in 2019. The Vikings had both Thielen and Diggs on big-ticket deals in 2019, but they traded the mercurial standout to the Bills in March 2020. Minnesota then added Justin Jefferson as its lead option, but Thielen remained an essential piece in the Cousins-piloted offense.

Thielen combined for 24 TD receptions over Jefferson’s first two seasons, helping Cousins to big numbers (as the QB signed two Vikes extensions). After Kevin O’Connell‘s first season produced a 13-win showing, the Vikings released Thielen upon being unable to agree on a reworked contract. A nice market formed for the street free agent, and the Panthers ponied up $25MM over three years to give their to-be-determined No. 1 overall pick (eventually Bryce Young) a veteran to target. While Carolina missed on some investments during Scott Fitterer‘s final year as GM, Thielen totaled 1,014 receiving yards to lead the woeful 2023 Panthers edition by a wide margin.

Rebuffing trade interest in Thielen in 2024, the Panthers reworked his contract this past year but eventually relented on a trade. They sent Thielen back to Minnesota in a deal that brought a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2026 fifth to Carolina. Thielen being active for more than 10 games in 2025 triggered a condition on the Vikings’ side of the trade; that bumped the 2026 pick Minnesota received to a sixth-rounder. The Vikes also collected a 2027 seventh in the late-summer swap.

Thielen’s second Vikings stint did not offer much of consequence, as Minnesota fell out of contention during a rocky J.J. McCarthy debut season. Thielen surpassed his Minnesota 2.0 output (eight receptions) by catching 11 passes in just five Steelers regular-season games.

26 comments Carolina Panthers Minnesota Vikings Pittsburgh Steelers Transactions

Steelers’ Art Rooney II Addresses Situation Post-Tomlin

By | at January 14, 2026 9:56 pm

In the aftermath of head coach Mike Tomlin‘s departure from Pittsburgh, Steelers owner/president Art Rooney II made some things clear from the team’s perspective. One such item made clear, per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, was that Tomlin was not in danger of losing his job before he stepped down. Rooney expressed that he was willing “to take another run at it” with Tomlin next season, which he had expected to discuss with the long-time head coach before his resignation.

Despite his desire to run it back with Tomlin in 2026, Rooney asserted that he made no attempts to talk Tomlin out of his decision. “I did not,” Rooney said in response to the question, according to Mark Maske of The Washington Post. “He was pretty clear about what his intentions were…We had a great conversation, and I understand where he was.”

Mike DeFabo of The Athletic added on that part of the reason Rooney declined to push back on Tomlin’s decision was because it was, as the owner framed it to the media, a “family-driven” exit. Tomlin’s decision not to coach in the near future had already been reported, but DeFabo’s wording stated that “Tomlin does not plan on coaching again anytime soon.”

Moving forward, Rooney and general manager Omar Khan will reportedly be leading the search for Tomlin’s replacement, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. The pair ruled out a number of candidates fairly quickly as Rooney told the media that he didn’t “expect anyone on the current staff” to be a candidate to step into the open head coaching role, per DeFabo. Realistically, this would only apply to offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, and we can probably just narrow it down to Smith since he’s been rumored as a candidate in New York, requested to interview with the Cardinals, and interviewed with the Titans.

Another aspect of the future affected by Tomlin’s exit, in the eyes of Rooney, is the team’s quarterback position. After Aaron Rodgers led the team to the playoffs in his first year with the team, there was some speculation that the 42-year-old passer would be running it back as Pittsburgh’s quarterback for the 2026 season. The other option the veteran is reportedly considering is one in which he hangs up his cleats for good. As Rooney puts it (via Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated), “Aaron came here to play for Mike, so I think it’ll most likely affect his decision.”

Even if his starting quarterback departs along with his head coach, though, it doesn’t appear as if Rooney is expecting to blow things up further. He’s looking to carry on Tomlin’s moniker of “the standard is the standard” and expecting the next head coach and quarterback to pick up where Tomlin and Rodgers left off. When asked if the team could enter a “rebuild” phase, he pushed back on that notion, saying he didn’t “like that word” and that he couldn’t understand why anyone would “waste a year of your life not trying to contend,” per Pryor.

Instead, Rooney and Khan will hit the ground running to try and find Tomlin’s replacement while righting the ship in a direction that hopefully leads to the franchise’s first playoff win in 10 years.

9 comments Pittsburgh Steelers
Show all
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors