From Scheelhaase to McCarthy: Breaking Down Steelers HC Interviews So Far
Screenshot via Pittsburgh Steelers Youtube.
Art Rooney II and the Pittsburgh Steelers have hit the ground running in their search to fill the head coach vacancy left by Mike Tomlin’s departure. At the time of this writing, nine (9) candidates have been interviewed or are scheduled to be interviewed this week for the job, and more interview requests are expected to come out in the coming days.
Of all the remaining head coaching vacancies, the Steelers and Ravens figure to be the most coveted; the Ravens because of Lamar Jackson and the Steelers because of their stability. (EDIT: Sean McDermott was just fired by the Bills, so you can add them to the list as well. Yikes.) Whoever the Steelers hire is very likely going to be granted an ample amount of time to implement their vision for the team without having to be concerned about their job security, within reason. Job security is worth its weight in gold in the NFL, so I figure the Steelers oughta be able to damn near have their pick at anyone that’s interested in being a head coach right now. With that being said, here’s who they’ve expressed interest so far:
Brian Flores (Vikings Defensive Coordinator)
A lot of yinz will remember that Brian Flores served as the senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach for the Steelers in 2022, before becoming the DC in Minnesota. Based on that familiarity, I figured this interview was automatically coming down the pipe when the Steelers HC search began. It doesn’t surprise me that they’ve already conducted one interview with Flores, and scheduled another in Pittsburgh this week.
On its surface, hiring Brian Flores seems like a no-brainer. He has head coaching experience and we have a previous relationship with him - both great things. Also, the Vikings defense has been awesome since Flores took over as their DC, and he is diabolical in his play design on defense - more great things. I just don’t like some of the stuff that has come out about him during his time as head coach of the Dolphins. Did he get fleeced by the Dolphins and the NFL? - Probably. - But it doesn’t exactly sound like he was a pleasant guy to be around, either. Take that how you will, but I’m out on him, personally - at least as head coach. Hopefully the Steelers are too.
Chris Shula (Rams Defensive Coordinator)
Chris Shula quickly emerged as the fan favorite to land the Steelers head coaching gig, and I can understand why. He’s in the midst of a deep playoff run in his ninth season with the Rams; his second season as DC. The Rams defense has been consistently good for a while now, and Shula has worn quite a few hats for them on that side of the ball. Probably the thing that stands out to me the most about his bio is how much production he’s gotten out of the young players that have joined his unit(s). Last season (2024), they had two AP Defensive Rookie of the Year finalists on their squad in DE Braden Fiske and OLB Jered Verse - the award eventually going to Verse. Also, as the Rams secondary coach in 2022, they were tied for 7th in the league in INTs (16) despite heavy DB snaps going to rookies. Then rookie Cobie Durant led the NFL in INT return yards that season with 151.
A House-Shanahan-disciple (or should we just call it House McVay at this point?), it doesn’t surprise me that he’s getting head coaching interviews all over the league. As I insinuated earlier, he’s in the midst of a potential Super Bowl run with the Rams, so who knows if he’s even interested in these opportunities, but if he is, I like our odds. Also, not that I think this would sway his decision, but Shula did coach Jalen Ramsey as during his sixth pro-bowl season. Landing Shula could keep Ramsey in Pittsburgh, perhaps til he retires, assuming yinz are still into that idea.
Nathan Scheelhaase (Rams Pass Game Coordinator)
This is where things get interesting in my opinion. Of the nine candidates that the Steelers have expressed interest in, Scheelhaase is one of just three offensive-minded guys being considered so far - and he is a tantalizing option. In his first season in the NFL, he helped coach the Rams to a fringe-top-10 passing offense as a pass game specialist on their staff. This year, however, he got a promotion, and he made the most of it - Rams QB Matthew Stafford led the league in pass yards (4,707) and pass touchdowns (46), and the Rams were top 3 in seemingly every offensive statistical category. Word on the street is that Scheelhaase is the architect behind a lot of the success they’re having, and I would love it if the Steelers went a route like this.
It would be an outside-the-box hire for the Steelers whose last three head coaching hires have been young defensive coordinators from other teams. With that being said, there has been chatter, in recent years, that the league has left the Pittsburgh Steelers behind, so maybe outside-the-box is exactly what Mr. Rooney is looking for. Also, Scheelhaase is 35 years old, just one year older than Tomlin was when he was hired by the Steelers in 2007.
Jesse Minter (Chargers Defensive Coordinator)
Minter joined Jim Harbaugh in Los Angeles after the pair won a National Championship together at Michigan. Now, after back-to-back strong years as defensive coordinator of the Chargers, Minter is getting serious looks as a head coaching candidate from all over the league, including the Steelers. It’s worth noting that he previously worked for the Ravens under John Harbaugh as well, and I do think that matters in the grand scheme of things.
Every defense that Jesse Minter has had a hand in over the past three years has been absolutely elite in just about every statistical category. From an Xs and Os perspective, it doesn't get much better than him on defense, but he’s literally never held a job where he had to coach the other side of the ball. That means that he’s going to have to bring one hell of an OC with him wherever he goes to be a head coach, if he decides to go that route.
Ejiro Evero (Panthers Defensive Coordinator)
Since being hired as the defensive QC coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in 2007, Ejiro Evero has worn quite a few hats in the NFL. With 18 years of experience coaching at the NFL level, his resume is nothing to sneeze at, although it gives me cause to pause that he hasn’t gotten any head coaching gigs yet. At 45 years old, he could very well have a long and illustrious coaching career ahead of him, but the Steelers hired Noll at 37 years old, Cowher at 34 years old, and Tomlin at 34 years old. Tomlin and Noll both won Super Bowls as the Steelers head coach before they turned 45, and Cowher had already been to the Super Bowl and lost by that age. He would get one when he was 48. So, while Evero is defensive minded, hiring him would be going against the Steeler grain to some degree.
Most recently, as the Panthers DC, Evero oversaw a unit that allowed a franchise record (low) 171.5 passing yards per game. This being his second season as DC, it’s worth noting that they allowed 50+ less total yards per game on defense, and that group really kept games close for them while their offense went for a roller coaster ride. - Quantifiable improvement in his most recent gig is great, I just don’t know much about him outside of that. This hiring would catch me off guard, but I would concede to the Steelers decision makers.
Anthony Weaver (Dolphins Defensive Coordinator)
The Steelers have already interviewed Anthony Weaver once for their head coaching gig, and news broke this morning that they have also scheduled a second interview in-person with him this week. I’ll admit it, like seemingly a lot of yinz, when I first heard we were interviewing Weaver, I had a shiddy look on my face like “Why the hell would we do that?” - Well hold on, now: in 2024, the Dolphins ranked fourth in the NFL in total defense (314.4), and they were the only team in the league that didn’t allow a 100-yard rusher. I know things came off the rails a bit in Miami this season, but I just don’t think they had the guys on defense - hardly Anthony Weaver’s fault.
Weaver spent three seasons with the Ravens from 2021 to 2023 serving as defensive line coach, defensive run game coordinator, and assistant head coach. Since Anthony Weaver and Mike Macdonald left the Ravens, that defense has been a shell of itself, much to my satisfaction. I’m not saying that yinz are wrong about Anthony Weaver, I don’t exactly love him as a candidate initially, but I reserve the right to change my opinion upon further research. Perhaps there’s something there that we’re missing.
Jeff Hafley (Packers Defensive Coordinator)
I think Jeff Hafley might be a tad bit underappreciated following a tough end to the Packers season. After Micah Parsons got hurt, fans everywhere came out in unison and said that this defense wasn’t good enough without him - so why has Hafley’s public perception taken a hit? No doubt it was a down year, but the Packers were a top-10 group in every important category in 2024, and before that, he led a Boston College group that ranked top 30 in the nation on defense. Hafley has been known to have a transformative effect on the defenses he works for, so let’s not bury him just yet.
Much to the chagrin of Dolphins fans, Hafley has emerged as the favorite to land their HC job, so I don’t know if the Steelers are real players in the Hafley sweepstakes. For what it’s worth, I’d prefer several other candidates over Hafley, though I think the public discourse surrounding him is weird.
Klay Kubiak (49ers Offensive Coordinator)
It felt like the world slowed down for a sec immediately after it was announced that the Steelers would be interviewing Klay Kubiak for their vacant HC spot. He has spent the last five years on the 49ers offensive staff under Kyle Shanahan, hence the league-wide boat race for his services. Shanahan has publicly credited Kubiak for his contributions as a playcaller, something that, to my knowledge, has always been Shanahan’s responsibility. Of course I’m not naive enough to think that Shanahan has been calling plays without any assistance all this time, but if Klay Kubiak has been a core part of engineering this Niners offense like everyone says he has, then I’m interested in his services.
Like I mentioned before, the Steelers aren’t interviewing very many offensive minds so far, but this one is among my favorites in the entire league. No doubt, we’re in an offensive era of football, and at 37 years old, Kubiak could be exactly the kind of young offensive mind that the Steelers need to transform this team back into a true contender, albeit in a different way. I’d imagine yinz feel the same…but I don’t care how it happens. I just want the Steelers to be playing meaningful January football again. A disciple of Kyle Shanahan, who is constantly showering him with praise, I love the idea of Klah Kubiak being the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach.
Mike McCarthy (Previously Cowboys Head Coach [2024])
I don’t know why I didn’t realize that Mike McCarthy was the HC of the Cowboys as recently as he was. A Super Bowl winner as a head coach, and a Pittsburgh Native with a knack for developing quarterbacks, I understand why the Pittsburgh Steelers (who don’t have a real QB by the way) would want to speak to him. However, with all the young innovators that have gotten interviews to this point, it would be ludicrous, in my opinion, to hire Mike McCarthy right now. No disrespect to him, but I’m all the way out on that idea.
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