The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the 2025 offseason on a rough note. The team lost its final four regular season games before being bounced out of the playoffs by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round. This extended the organization's streak of years without a playoff victory to seven seasons, which is completely unacceptable considering what is expected from one of the best franchises in the NFL. The coaching staff for Pittsburgh has been under fire ever since losing in the Wild Card Round, but no major changes on the coaching staff are expected from the organization.
It doesn't seem that any coaching changes are being intentionally made by the Steelers, but there will be some changes due to other teams around the league. The New York Jets have already come in and stolen Inside Linebackers Coach Aaron Curry, who is often considered a rising star in the coaching world. Him leaving Pittsburgh was a bit curious, as the Jets have been one of the worst organizations in all of sports over the last decade or so.
Team insider Ray Fittipaldo answered some questions from fans on Tuesday, and he spoke about Curry leaving the Steelers for the Jets. He noted that he won't be the only coach choosing to leave the Steelers during the 2025 offseason, and some other changes should be expected in the coming weeks.
"Aaron Curry left last week," Fittipaldo wrote. "You'll see a couple more leave in the next week or two."
It is unclear which coaches Fittipaldo is referring to, but there are likely some position coaches on the Steelers' staff that could be getting a promotion on a different staff somewhere else in the league. There are likely some coaches in Pittsburgh who had their contract expire at the end of the 2024 season, while there could be some coaches who choose to leave while still under contract. The organization is notoriously cheap, which could also play a factor.
The coaches Fittipaldo is speaking of won't be any high-level coaches. Arthur Smith and Teryl Austin are staying put in Pittsburgh for now. However, other vacancies are expected to open up on the coaching staff. It will be interesting to see how Head Coach Mike Tomlin makes new hires, and what kind of approach he takes.
Currently the Steelers have a vacancy where Curry was before leaving for the Jets, and there are two former head coaches who could be considered for the job. Both Antonio Pierce and Jerod Mayo were head coaches during the 2024 season that got fired at the end of the year, and they each played inside linebacker during their playing careers. If either Pierce or Mayo wanted to learn under one of the best coaches in the league while staying in a meaningful coaching role, Pittsburgh may be a realistic landing spot for either of the former head coaches.
Steelers' Positional Coaches Could Be Enticing To Other Organizations
Some of the Steelers' positional coaches could be attractive to other franchises, and one of them that particularly stands out is Grady Brown. Brown is Pittsburgh's secondary coach, and he already interviewed for the defensive coordinator position with the Atlanta Falcons earlier in the offseason. He did not get the job, but it made it obvious he should be appreciated more by Steelers fans. He is certainly a candidate to be poached by another organization.
Anthony Midget, who is the Steelers' assistant secondary coach, is another name to look out for. He has coached in the league for nine seasons, and quite frankly, he is over-qualified for his current position. It would not be surprising to see him get a promotion elsewhere. Offensively, some names to look out for are Tom Arth and Zach Azzanni, although both seem to love it in Pittsburgh.
