There has been wide debate about how desirable the Pittsburgh Steelers head coaching job is this offseason. General manager Omar Khan has some aspects of the roster heading in the right direction, but the team also has several key aging veterans.
The Steelers are the model of stability and patience. But in recent years, they’ve also gained a reputation for being traditional and cheap.
For those reasons, a few NFL executives expressed their concerns with the Steelers head coach opening this offseason.
“Coaches will value the stability and ownership patience,” a league executive told ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “But I think the organization has truly fallen behind in the NFL in terms of a modern operation.”
“Coaches will be interviewing Steelers brass as much as they will be interviewing the coach,” another one league source told Pryor.
Salaries a Concern With Omar Khan, Steelers?
The Steelers have received criticism in the NFLPA report cards in recent years. On the 2025 report card, team president Art Rooney II received a D grade, which was ranked 28th among the 32 owners.
That criticism stemmed from things such as “perceived willingness to invest in facilities” and game day daycare options.
The Steelers’ smaller than average coaching staff has been a talking point in recent years too. During 2024, the Steelers were tied for the fewest assistant coaches on their staff in the league.
An NFL coaching source told Pryor there’s concern around how much the Steelers pay their assistants too.
“It’s better than most, jobwise,” a long-time coaching source said to Pryor. “They need to bump up salaries.”
Pundits could view how the Steelers have managed their quarterback situation the past two years as “cheap” too. Khan signed Russell Wilson for the league minimum in 2024. The Steelers then inked Aaron Rodgers to a deal that was based heavily around incentives.
Put all together, Rooney is gaining the reputation as one of the cheaper owners in the league.
Why the Steelers Roster Could Hurt Team’s Head Coaching Pursuit
The ownership behind the scenes might not be as big of a concern if the Steelers already had a roster in place to compete for a championship. But they don’t.
The team’s top two players are the aging Cameron Heyward and T.J. Watt. The Steelers also obviously have a major question at quarterback.
“Because of the salary cap situation and roster construction, [the job] may not be quite as appealing because they have an older roster and no QB in place,” an aforementioned league executive told Pryor.
The optimal word in that analysis, though, is “may.”
It’s easy to say head coaching jobs for teams with Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson are more desirable. But in Pittsburgh, because there’s no long-term answer at quarterback, the next head coach should have a say in the direction behind center.
Furthermore, because Khan signed Wilson and Rodgers cheaply, the Steelers’ cap situation could be much worse. According to Spotrac, the Steelers are ranked ninth in cap space as of January 22.
The Watt contract extension from last year might not age well given his recent decline. But it’s hard to see that being a reason head coaching candidates will rule out coming to Pittsburgh.
The Steelers are likely ready to mold the quarterback position and the rest of the roster into what the next head coach would like.
The much bigger question is will Rooney begin investing more in the coaching staff and other facilities to support that roster and next head coach?
NFL Executives Send Warnings on Steelers Head Coaching Job