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The Pittsburgh Steelers are officially in the market for a new head coach.
The Steelers announced Tuesday that Mike Tomlin is stepping down as head coach after 19 years with the team, which now leaves the franchise in a position it has only been in three times since 1969.
When it comes to who the Steelers could replace Tomlin with, NFL insider and ESPN reporter Dan Graziano predicts Pittsburgh will hire Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter as its next head coach.
"Pittsburgh is proud of the infrequency with which it makes changes at this position, so it will be looking for someone it believes can be there for a very long time," Graziano wrote. "Minter is of the Harbaugh tree, having worked under Jim Harbaugh and Mike Macdonald at the University of Michigan before following Harbaugh to the Chargers, and he is viewed as a top head coach prospect by several teams around the league."
As Graziano notes, Minter is widely viewed as one of the top head-coach candidates in this cycle, and for good reason.
The Chargers have had a top-10 defense in each of the two years Minter has been at the helm under head coach Jim Harbaugh. Here's a look at where Los Angeles has ranked in all major categories the past two seasons:
2024
- Total yards: 11th
- Rushing yards: 14th
- Passing yards: 7th
- Points: 1st
2025
- Total yards: 5th
- Rushing yards: 8th
- Passing yards: 5th
- Points: 9th
Seeing as how the Steelers' strength is their defense, hiring a defensive-minded head coach makes sense. But that's assuming the Steelers don't blow it up, something that is now more possible with Tomlin gone.
The Steelers could look to retool and stay the course, which we believe would be a mistake, or Pittsburgh may opt to hit the reset button in a year in which the team sports 12 picks in the 2026 NFL draft.
Even if the Steelers blow it up, we don't think that would preclude them from hiring Minter, but no matter what Pittsburgh does with its roster, the team should hire an offensive-minded head coach who can modernize the offense, something that is long overdue.
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