Steelers' Former Coach Gets Honest About His Time With The Organization

The Pittsburgh Steelers have gone through a ton of change during the 2026 offseason as the organization has undergone a coaching overhaul for the first time in nearly 20 years. Former head coach, Mike Tomlin stepped down from his role after the 2025 season came to a close, and the franchise informed his entire staff that they would not be retained unless the new coach wanted them in Pittsburgh. That was the case for Tom Arth and Scott McCurley, but other than that, the coaching roster is full of new faces, led by a native of Pittsburgh in Mike McCarthy.

McCarthy brings an offensive philosophy with him to Pittsburgh, which meant the offensive staff from the 2025 season essentially had no chance. The only reason Arth got to stick around was likely due to his experience with the quarterbacks on the roster, paired with the fact that McCarthy coached him back in 2006. The shake up meant former offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith, would have to find work elsewhere, and he did that rather quickly as he landed in the same role at The Ohio State University. The move came as a shock as it was assumed he would get a job at the professional level, but he opted to go down to college.

Members of the organization, along with Pittsburgh media, were in Columbus for Ohio State's Pro Day on Wednesday, and Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was able to chat with Smith and talk about his time with the Steelers.

"We loved it," Smith said. "I loved being in Pittsburgh. As a guy that’s from the South and hadn’t spent a lot of time in Pittsburgh, I absolutely loved it. Just living there, the passion people have for it, and then, obviously, the relationships with the players we had were awesome."

Smith was happy in Pittsburgh, even if his offense with the Steelers sometimes seemed a little limited. He got some hate for the way he handled the offensive side of the ball over the last two years, but it is important to remember that the Steelers had a severe lack of weapons and a young offensive line. It would be hard for any offensive mind to find efficiency and consistency with the group the Steelers have had on offense as of late.

Smith's conversation with Batko showed that he had no clue he would be moving down to the college level. The coach was just as shocked by the move, but he didn't want to pass up the opportunity after chatting with Ohio State Head Coach Ryan Day and some of his players from over the years that were Buckeyes. Smith seems to understand that the coaching world is unpredictable, and there is no hard feelings towards Pittsburgh for the big change. Batko asked Smith if the Steelers were right for him after being fired as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

"Absolutely," Smith said. "It was the perfect place. That’s life, you know? You get in this job and never know where it’s gonna take you, but those relationships are everything. The times we had, the players we had in Pittsburgh, I loved working with them."

The offensive coordinator is going to be put under a microscope during the 2026 season as Ohio State is one of the most magnified teams in college football. They have National Championship aspirations, and Smith is going to have to be a big part of achieving that.

Steelers Now Have A New Approach When Coaching The Offense

McCarthy is the first head coach in Pittsburgh to have an offensive focus in over 50 years, which is certainly a major change. He still hired an offensive coordinator in Brian Angelichio, but McCarthy will be calling the plays throughout the games. This is new for Pittsburgh, and something to keep an eye on.

What do you think about Smith's comments regarding Pittsburgh? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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