NASHVILLE — Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith confirmed Thursday that the Tennessee Titans have reached out to interview him for their head coach opening.
“That’s not something I’m going to focus on, because the only thing that matters is my current job,” Smith said. “It’s like, trying to tell people all the time, I’m living the present. If you have perspective, you have life experiences, you’re wasting time worrying about the future if you deal with that. … Anything’s like that’s a distraction.”
Smith worked for the Titans from 2011-20, working under four different head coaches. He started as a quality control assistant and moved up the ladder, becoming offensive coordinator in 2019, then left after the 2020 season to be head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, where he went 21-30 in three seasons.
This is his second straight season as Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator. Smith, 43, can’t interview with his former team until three days after Pittsburgh’s wild-card playoff game Monday night against the Houston Texans, and that interview would be done virtually if the Steelers win.
“All my focus is on our guys, these guys, and anything I take away from that is not doing my job,” Smith said. “So all I care about is the Steelers and our players.”
Smith has other ties to Tennessee as well. His father, the late Fred Smith, founded Memphis-based FedEx.
The Titans became the first NFL team to fire its coach during the 2025 season on Oct. 13, when Brian Callahan was dismissed after a 1-5 start to his second season in Nashville followed a 3-14 record in 2024; now they’re among eight NFL teams looking for a new leader on the sideline. They reportedly also requested interviews with two other coordinators busy in the playoffs, both of those on the defensive side: Jeff Hafley of the Green Bay Packers and Robert Saleh of the San Francisco 49ers.
Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi, who is leading the coaching search, said Tuesday he had no timeline to hire the right person, and based on media reports, the number of candidates Tennessee has asked for permission to talk with or scheduled interviews with has reached 11.
Hafley said Wednesday that having his name being mentioned as a head coaching candidate is flattering and humbling. The Packers are preparing for a wild-card game Saturday night against the host Chicago Bears.
“I’m just honored to be in those,” Hafley said.”I think right now, with all that stuff, it can be a distraction.”