PITTSBURGH — For just the fourth time since 1969, the Pittsburgh Steelers will conduct a coaching search. That process — led by owner and team president Art Rooney II and general manager Omar Khan — is already underway, just one day after Mike Tomlin stepped down.
Pittsburgh has put in interview requests for Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula, Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, league sources told The Athletic.
Historically, the Steelers have preferred young and often defensive-minded coaches but, in a press conference held Wednesday, Rooney made clear he’s casting a wide net.
“Can I sign up for another Chuck Noll or another Bill Cowher or another Mike Tomlin? Sure, somebody that we feel fits that mold would be great,” Rooney said. “But we’re not going to narrow the box too much. … I think if I’ve learned anything, it’s to have an open mind. When we had Mike in for his first interview, certainly wasn’t expecting that he was going to be our next head coach.”
What’s he looking for in the next coach?
“I think there are a lot of things that go into being a successful head coach,” Rooney said. “Number one, really in my mind, is leadership and really trusting that this person can stand up in front of your team day in and day out, hold their attention and have them motivated to do what they do. That’s the most important part.”
Pittsburgh is expected to continue to reach out to candidates within the coming hours and days. Here’s a scouting report on the known candidates. This page will continue to be updated as the process continues.
Nathan Scheelhaase, Rams pass game coordinator (35)
Rooney said on Wednesday that “the quarterback position will be an important part of this discussion with the candidates.” Scheelhaase knows the position well, as a former four-star prospect who started four season (2010-2013) at the University of Illinois.
He began his coaching career with the Fighting Illini shortly after. He spent his first season as the running backs coach (2015) and then served as an offensive analyst (2016-17). Scheelhaase then worked for six years in various roles with Iowa State, where he got experience coaching virtually every offensive position group. Most importantly, in 2022, he served as the Cyclones’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, calling the plays and working directly with the most important position.
Scheelhaase is now in his second season with the Los Angeles Rams. He spent his first year as an offensive assistant and pass game specialist before being promoted into his current role. It seems that every coach Sean McVay touches turns to gold, which makes Scheelhaase an enticing option.
Chris Shula, Rams defensive coordinator (39)
If the Steelers are looking for a young, defensive-minded head coach, Shula fits the mold. The grandson of Hall of Fame coach Don Shula and son of former Bengals coach Dave Shula, Chris has spent two seasons as the Rams’ defensive coordinator.
Pittsburgh has long prided itself on the play of its linebackers. Shula was a linebacker himself at Miami (Ohio). He coached several places collegiately (Ball State, Indiana and John Carroll) before joining his old Redhawks teammate, McVay, in Los Angeles. After several seasons coaching linebackers, Shula was promoted to defensive coordinator this year.
The Steelers were unable to maximize the potential of the NFL’s highest-paid defense. Shula took the NFL’s lowest-paid defense and led them to a top-10 finish in points allowed (20.4) and EPA per play.
Anthony Weaver, Dolphins defensive coordinator (45)
Weaver knows the Steelers-Ravens rivalry well — from the other side. A second-round pick by the Baltimore in 2002, Weaver played in 103 games during his seven-year career with the Ravens and Houston Texans. The former NFL defensive end began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Florida (2010) and then coached linebackers at North Texas (2011). He returned to the NFL as a coach in 2012 with the Jets and has also made stops with the Bills (2013, defensive line coach), Browns (2014-15 defensive line coach), Houston Texans (2016-2019, defensive line coach and in 2020 defensive coordinator).
Weaver re-joined the Ravens in 2021. He served first as the defensive line coach and run game coordinator before a promotion to assistant head coach and defensive line coach in 2022-2023. Last season, Weaver left to become the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator.
Brian Flores, Vikings defensive coordinator (44)
Shortly after the Miami Dolphins fired Flores after a three-year run during which he compiled a 24-25 record, he brought a lawsuit against the NFL alleging a pattern of racist hiring practices by teams and racial discrimination during the interview process.
At the time, he was somewhat of a pariah when the Pittsburgh Steelers opened their doors to Flores, hiring him as a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach for the 2022 season. The move helped Flores get back on track, and now, after three years as the Vikings’ defensive coordinator, he’s one of the hot names in this coaching cycle. A creative and innovative defensive mind, Flores would fit neatly into the Blitzburgh identity and could help make the most of a roster full of expensive, aging defensive stars.
Jesse Minter, Chargers defensive coordinator (42)
When Jim Harbaugh bolted for the NFL after his national championship run with the University of Michigan, he took his defensive coordinator, Minter, with him.
In his first NFL season, Minter coordinated the top NFL defense, as the Chargers limited opponents to a league-low 17.7 points per game. This season, they ranked ninth in points allowed (20.0), fifth in yards per game (285) and fifth in turnovers forced (26).
Minter comes from a football family, as his dad was the head coach at the University of Cincinnati. He also has familiarity with the AFC North after four seasons as a defensive assistant in Baltimore.
Coincidentally, Tomlin coached defensive backs at Cincinnati when Minter’s father, Rick, was the head coach. Beginning at 16 years old, Minter formed a relationship with Tomlin that remains to this day.
“I was 16 years in high school and my parents were split up. He came in as the DB coach,” Minter told the reporters in Los Angeles last year. “I was a high school receiver/ DB. We really just hit it off. He took interest in me, I took interest in him. We’ve had a good relationship ever since.”
An update on Marcus Freeman
Two weeks ago, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported that the Steelers had internal discussions about Freeman as they contemplated the possibility of Tomlin stepping away. It’s a move that would make sense in many ways. In late December, as speculation swirled that Freeman could make the jump to the NFL, Notre Dame signed its coach to a revised deal that makes him one of the highest-paid in his sport. Freeman also has publicly said he’ll be back in 2026.
To be clear, the Steelers have not requested an interview with Freeman, to The Athletic’s knowledge. But on Wednesday, Freeman spoke with the media in South Bend for the first time since early December and did address the potential of making the jump to the NFL at some point. While it may or may not be relevant to this search, his quote is worth noting.
“I don’t know enough about it, and maybe sometime in the future, if it’s the right time and it’s what I think is right for me, then maybe I’ll pursue it,” Freeman told reporters. “I don’t love wasting time thinking about things that aren’t right in front of me. And so I don’t know what I want in however any length of time, how much length of the time, I don’t know. But I know right now that I was convicted and motivated to be the best head coach of the Notre Dame football program as I can be.”