The Pittsburgh Steelers will hire an outside candidate to be their offensive coordinator for just the second time since 1999.
On Thursday, head coach Mike Tomlin announced his intention to bring in a rookie to take Matt Canada’s place on a full-time basis. Canada was fired in November, midway through his third season with the team.
Tomlin stated that he is looking for a coordinator with expertise calling plays in the NFL and who gets along well with quarterbacks. In other words, a person who feels at ease working with Kenny Pickett as he prepares for his third and most significant NFL season.
The other priority, Tomlin said, is finding someone who can get the offense to score more points after the Steelers ranked No. 27 in 2023 and were No. 25 in total offense.
An outside hire doesn’t mean a candidate must lack connections to the organization or the city. With that in mind, here are several possible candidates with and without ties to the franchise and region
Resume: The former Steel Valley and Pitt quarterback is available after being fired as offensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears. It was Getsy’s first time as a coordinator on the NFL level. The Bears finished No. 18 in points and No. 20, and Getsy was let go because of the lack of offensive growth under multi-purpose quarterback Justin Fields.
Getsy’s work with a mobile passer such as Fields could be intriguing to Tomlin. Getsy also spent two years as quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator at Green Bay.
Resume: Van Pelt’s hiring would bring him back to the city where he broke many of Dan Marino’s passing records at Pitt. A former Steelers eighth-round draft pick, Van Pelt has coached in various capacities, mainly working with quarterbacks, at the NFL level since 2006. He spent 2009 as offensive coordinator in Buffalo and the past four seasons as the OC and quarterbacks coach in Cleveland.
In 2023, Van Pelt oversaw an offensive that featured five players getting starts at quarterback. The Browns finished No. 16 in yards and tied for No. 10 in points.
