Steelers Head Coaching Hot-Board: Top names and early candidates to replace Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh following his resignation
Here are three initial candidates the Steelers should be eying as their next head coach.
With Mike Tomlin’s bombshell decision on Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers are in an unfamiliar position. For the first time in 20 years and only the fourth time since Richard Nixon was president, the Steelers brass will be searching for a new head coach.
With that comes just about every coaching candidate on the market, and even some who aren’t. Today, we will discuss three candidates who could lead the Pittsburgh Steelers back to where they belong in 2026 and beyond. Typically, Pittsburgh has gone young in the past, but with a hunger for wins, two of these candidates have more than enough experience.
Nick Saban
Saban is enjoying his time on TV, but the old ball coach from the Alabama Crimson Tide has yet to shut the door completely on a return to the coaching world. In fact, his wife, Ms. Terry, often jokes that she nudges him when she sees some of the numbers that schools are paying their coaches.
Well, the Steelers were reportedly paying Mike Tomlin $25 million per year. That’s far more than any coach in college. Oh, and Saban just so happens to be a West Virginia native who has been open about his fandom for the Steelers during his youth. Taking another swing in the NFL with his hometown team doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility for a team and fanbase hungry to win now.
Brian Flores
After being fired by the Miami Dolphins, Flores was a defensive assistant on Tomlin’s staff during the 2022 season, and he has coordinated one of the league’s top defenses since 2023 with the Minnesota Vikings. He fits the mold as a younger, defensive-minded head coach, and he will be endorsed by Mike Tomlin and the rest of the staff.
For more on Flores, here is A to Z Sports Minnesota writer Tyler Forness.
“Brian Flores is arguably the best head coaching candidate on the market right now. That is, until you factor in the lawsuit he has pending against the NFL and three member clubs. That won’t matter much to the Steelers, who gave Flores his first job after being fired by the Miami Dolphins, and he speaks highly of his time with the Steelers. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Flores head out east and have a bevy of success in Pittsburgh.” – Forness
Curt Cignetti
The current head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers is a win away from the national championship, and he recently signed an extension. However, he is a Pittsburgh native (evidenced by his accent), and he is arguably the best coach in college right now.
He fits the win now narrative we discussed earlier, but is slightly younger than Nick Saban. For more on Cignetti, here is an analysis from A to Z Sports college football contributor Destin Adams.
“The Indiana Hoosiers have been building their war chest of resources to fight off any college that could come trying to steal away Curt Cignetti. And so far, it’s worked. What they might not have thought about is what if an NFL team were to call. I think Cignetti is a better fit for the college level, where he knows the game like the back of his hand. In Bloomington, he has the opportunity to be the single name and face that people think of when they hear Indiana football. So, I don’t think he would leave for just any NFL job.
“In fact, I believe his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers are likely the only team that could even tempt him into an interview. If I were the Steelers, I would think of going a younger route with my next head coach, but I certainly wouldn’t blame them if they came a-knockin’ on Cignetti’s door.” – Adams
Time will tell which direction the Steelers go, but these names, and frankly anyone the Steelers can comb through, will be talking points over the next days and weeks.
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