Insider: Legitimate Smoke Surrounding A Potential Steelers And Sean McDermott Agreement

The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of many teams on the hunt for a head coach during the 2026 offseason. The list of job openings has gotten longer as the playoffs have gone on, and the most recent firing came as a surprise as the Buffalo Bills parted ways with Sean McDermott. McDermott had been the coach in Buffalo ever since he was hired during the 2017 offseason, but he has never been able to get his team to the Super Bowl. Ownership in Buffalo can see their Super Bowl window slowly closing, so a change was made despite the fact that the Bills have won a lot of games during his tenure with the franchise.

The coaching landscape in the NFL is changing dramatically. McDermott was fired, John Harbaugh was fired, and Mike Tomlin stepped down as the coach of the Steelers. Those were the three longest-tenured guys in the AFC, excluding Andy Reid. The NFL is going to look a lot different during the 2026 season with a ton of new guys in control of teams, but McDermott could step right into another head coaching opportunity. 

NFL insider Tom Pelissero joined The Rich Eisen Show on Monday, and he speculated that Pittsburgh could be a landing spot for McDermott.

"Teams to watch for Sean McDermott, potentially the Steelers, although that would be outside their normal bucket of who they like to hire," Pelissero said. "Baltimore is certainly one that I could see making a lot of sense."

Pelissero noted that this wouldn't be the way Pittsburgh usually goes about doing things when it comes to hiring a new head coach, but it is certainly a possibility that the former Bills coach could end up wearing black and gold in 2026. The Ravens may also make some sense for McDermott, which would be an interesting move for him as the Ravens and Bills are likely going to meet in some very important games over the years.

McDermott and Tomlin are close. The two played on the same football team in college, and they have always been seen catching up when the Steelers and Bills play one another. If McDermott has any interest in coaching in Pittsburgh, he could ask Tomlin to put a word in while also picking his brain about the franchise and the city. 

There is a chance McDermott could want to take a year off, although there are some good openings across the NFL. He should certainly have a good chance of being hired this cycle.

Hiring McDermott would likely mean more of the same for Pittsburgh. He would be another defensive-minded coach, and a lot of fans want to see the organization take a step more towards the offensive side of the ball. An innovative play-caller and play designer would be nice to have at head coach, but McDermott's experience could be more valuable to a franchise.

Steelers Could Also Benefit From Bringing Sean McDermott On As A Coordinator

Pittsburgh essentially has no permanent coaching staff currently. The group is going to be hired once a head coach is in place, and no one that was on Tomlin's staff is guaranteed a spot. This means two new coordinators, and McDermott could certainly come in as a defensive coordinator if he can't land a head coaching gig somewhere else. He could also hold out for the right opening and just be a coordinator for now. 

There is no need for him to rush into another head coaching job, and him being a defensive coordinator for Pittsburgh would be nice due to his head-coaching experience.

What do you think about McDermott potentially coming to Pittsburgh? Let us know in the comments below!

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