Steelers' New Surprising Head Coach Vacancy Not Seen As Best Head Coaching Job This Cycle

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs for the franchise's seventh straight postseason loss, falling to the Houston Texans 30-6. The Steelers had played a competitive game all the way until the fourth quarter, which is when the Texans rattled off 23 unanswered points on the way to the win, leaving the Steelers with more questions than answers. It was already going to be a long offseason, and as of Tuesday afternoon, one of the bigger questions about the future of the Steelers was answered in one of the most shocking news stories of the season.

Now former Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin informed the team that he plans to step down, meaning the Steelers will be searching for their fourth head coach since 1969. The opening has generated a lot of buzz around league circles, as this is widely considered to be one of the hottest head coaching openings around the entire league. Many candidates looking for a head coaching opportunity would likely love the idea of coaching the Steelers, due to the history surrounding the franchise and the fact that the team had just won the AFC North with a decent roster on both sides of the ball. 

However, not everyone believes that the Steelers have the best potential for a new man at the helm. Earlier on the CBS Sports HQ show, analysts Leger Douzable and Pete Prisco debated whether or not the Steelers job was the most lucrative opening in the NFL, comparing it to the opening of the head coach position for the Tennessee Titans.

"At least you know you have a guy you took #1 overall to help develop," Douzable said. "The Pittsburgh Steelers don't even have that. This season, without a doubt, I would take Tennessee right now. They have way more cap than Pittsburgh."

Douzable does make a good point, in how the Titans have a #1 overall pick at quarterback in Cam Ward starting for them, which gives them consistency at the quarterback position, something the Steelers don't have right now. Even though the Titans do have consistency at quarterback though, the overall roster is not well put together, which can be shown with the team's 3-14 record in the 2025 NFL season. The Steelers at least have a decent roster that is capable of winning games, which is a big incentive to any incoming head coach.

The Steelers will be in a better position to contend immediately compared to the Titans overall, but only if the Steelers can solve the big question at quarterback relatively soon. Currently, the Steelers only have one quarterback of a starting caliber on the roster, that being quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who has given hints that the game against the Texans will ultimately be the final game of his storied career. If the Steelers can solve the mystery of who their replacement for Rodgers will be soon, that will be a huge boost to any head coach wanting to come in and make his mark on the Steelers.

It should be an interesting offseason for the Steelers as they search for only their fourth head coach in decades, and with plenty of potential candidates that could join the team, the Steelers will have their pick of a strong group of candidates.

Steelers Need To Take Their Time With Head Coach Decision

There will be plenty of time for the Steelers to interview who they'd like, and who they believe would be the best fit with the players and staff. The Steelers won't need to rush their search for a head coach, as similarly with the Titans, they'll have plenty of great options to pick from due to the desirability of the job.

What did you think about Douzable's comment about the Titans having a better opening than the Steelers at head coach? Let us know in the comments below.

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