PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith admitted during his news conference before the playoff matchup with Houston there was contact from the Titans about their head coaching job, but wanted to make it clear about his mindset.
"The NFL cycle is what it is,” Smith said Thursday. “I’m appreciative, but that’s not something I’m going to focus on because the only thing that matters is my current job. I try to tell people all the time, live in the present."
After a couple of seasons with the Washington Commanders, Smith came to Tennessee in 2011 as a quality control coach, transitioning to coaching tight ends for six years and eventually became the offensive coordinator through a couple of successful offensive seasons in 2019 and 2020. Smith left to be the Falcons head coach for three seasons (21-30 record) before spending the last two years with the Steelers.
Last year Smith’s alma mater, the University of North Carolina, reached out to him, but eventually chose Bill Belichick.
Per NFL rules, Smith wouldn’t be permitted to talk to any team about being a head coach until three days after the Wild Card game and that meeting can only be done virtually.