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It’s been less than 48 hours since former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler announced his retirement from the NFL, but head coach Mike Tomlin’s search for a successor is already underway. On Sunday night, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported that the Steelers have requested to interview New York Giants assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.
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Patrick Graham’s Coaching Career Started on Staten Island
Graham, 42, started coaching at the age of 23, serving as a graduate assistant at New York City’s Wagner College for two seasons before moving on to the University of Richmond, where he coached the team’s defensive line in 2004 and the tight ends from 2005-06. He went on to spend two years as a graduate assistant at Notre Dame before landing his first NFL job in 2009, as a coaching assistant with Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots.
Graham spent seven seasons with the Patriots, working as a defensive assistant in 2010 and then coaching either the linebackers or defensive line for the rest of his tenure. From 2016-17 he coached the defensive line for the New York Giants before joining the Green Bay Packers as linebackers coach/running coordinator.
In 2019 he served as the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins under Brian Flores, then returned to New York to work as defensive coordinator of the Giants under head coach Joe Judge, who was fired on January 11, 2022.
Graham Also Expected to Interview for the Giants’ Head Coaching Vacancy
According to Ralph Vacchiano, who covers the Giants and Jets for SNY, “Graham was popular with his players, and his defenses were the only successful part of the last two seasons,” before noting that Graham’s defense finished 12th in the league in 2020 before slipping to 21st in 2021, with New York’s “historically bad offense” a contributing factor in terms of the slippage.
“He’s also well-liked by Giants owners, who gave him a raise to return last year after he declined to interview for the head coaching job with the Jets,” adds Vacchiano, who says Graham will be interviewed for the Giants’ head-coaching opening, and could even stay on as New York’s DC under a new head coach.
As noted by Giants.com, Graham has coached in the postseason in eight of his 12 NFL seasons, winning a championship with the Patriots (Super Bowl XLIX) in February 2015.
Steelers’ Omar Khan to Interview for Bears GM Job
Meanwhile, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network also reports that Steelers Vice President of Football Operations and Business Administration Omar Khan is expected to interview for the Chicago Bears’ General Manager Job on Monday January 24.
The Bears requested permission to interview Khan back on January 12. He is also seen as a candidate to replace Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert, assuming Colbert plans to step down after the 2022 NFL Draft, as has been reported.
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