Report: Arthur Smith Set for Bears, Jets HC Interviews After Steelers' Playoff Loss

Arthur Smith could be moving on after one season of directing the Pittsburgh Steelers' offense.

Smith has head coaching interviews scheduled with the Chicago Bears and New York Jets, according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer.

Smith previously served as the Atlanta Falcons' head coach. He led the team to three straight 7-10 seasons before he was fired after the 2023 campaign.

He was hired by the Steelers ahead of the 2024 season, which ended Saturday with a 28-14 Wild Card loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

The news follows a Tuesday reported by ESPN's Dan Graziano that Smith could be a "front-runner" for the job in New York.

The Jets interviewed Smith in January 2021, following his second season as offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans, before Smith went to Atlanta and the Jets hired Robert Saleh.

The team also "considered bringing in Smith" as part of their offensive staff ahead of the 2024 season following his firing by the Falcons, according to Graziano.

That past interest could be enough to make the team a serious contender to hire Smith. Graziano wrote that Jets owner Woody Johnson "has been known to lock in a bit on his personal favorites."

According to Graziano, the Jets were interested in former head coach Adam Gase prior to his decision to join the Miami Dolphins in 2016. When Gase was fired after three seasons with the Dolphins, the Jets hired him ahead of the 2019 campaign.

The Jets could be looking for an offensively-focused coach after moving on from Saleh and interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich, both of whom came from defensive backgrounds.

The Steelers' offense struggled over stretches of the 2024 season, particularly when being held to 17 or fewer points in four straight losses to end the season. The unit finished the campaign ranked 23rd in the NFL with 319.4 total offensive yards per game.

Smith's offense in Pittsburgh leaned heavily on its rushing attack, finishing the season 11th in the NFL with 127.4 rushing yards per game.

That focus wasn't always effective, however. The Steelers ranked 24th in rush EPA during the regular season, and the rushing attack was all but absent as the team was held to just 29 yards on the ground in the elimination loss to the Ravens.

The Jets could be hoping Smith is able to find more consistent results if he gets the chance to work with Breece Hall and Braelon Allen. Even after a head coach is hired, however, the Jets will be left to answer arguably the biggest question of the offseason: whether the team is running things back with Aaron Rodgers or bringing in a new starting quarterback for the 2025 season.