The Pittsburgh Steelers made a big move to start the 2024 season with the decision to hire Arthur Smith as the team’s next offensive coordinator.
There could be personnel changes in the weeks leading up to the new league year in March. The organization is interested in bringing in someone with play coordinator experience, but this isn’t just an addition.
Pittsburgh could also lose a coach who has been with the team since the start of the 2021 season if he receives and accepts an offer elsewhere. Mike Sullivan became an offensive lineman when the much-maligned Matt Canada was fired. Until the beginning of December.
The unit looked much better under Sullivan and Eddie Faulkner. Mason Rudolph’s success in helping lead the Steelers to the playoffs was evident when Sullivan interviewed to become the next offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints and Las Vegas Raiders. Recent reports out of Las Vegas have suggested that former NFL head coach Kliff Kingsbury will be the new offensive coordinator for the Raiders. That doesn’t seem to be the case anymore, on Saturday news broke that he will retire from the job. That means Las Vegas is still looking for new players.
The Raiders were also interested in Alex Van Pelt, who was acquired by the New England Patriots. The Las Vegas roster is getting smaller by the day, and Sullivan could end up taking it to Sin City. That would create an interesting situation for Pittsburgh, which is suddenly looking for its fourth coach.
Sullivan has extensive experience singing plays on a professional level.
He was also the quarterbacks coach for the New York Giants when they won the Super Bowl at the end of the 2011 season. This performance earned him a job as the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he returned to New York from 2015 to 2017, serving as offensive coordinator both years. Kenny Pickett’s development hasn’t gone as planned, so Steelers fans may want Sullivan out of town. The problem is that most of Pickett’s problems stemmed from Canada’s poor play. Rudolph showed what he can do with the Steelers’ players when the right person makes the play selection.
Also, Pickett and Sullivan seem to have a very strong relationship.
If Pittsburgh wants Pickett to take the next step in 2024, losing someone he worked with after the 2022 draft could hinder the signal-caller’s growth. The Raiders probably won’t wait long to make the move. Clint Kubiak, in particular, appears to be off the board.
Sullivan could be their guy. If Sullivan leaves, the Steelers will have to move quickly to hire a new quarterbacks coach.A team needs an elite quarterback to win at the professional level.
Unfortunately, Pittsburgh does not have an option to play in the 2024 season. Whoever is assigned to work with Pickett, or any potential starter, will be a big part of the team’s future success. If Sullivan ends up in Las Vegas, a name like Frank Reich would make sense. This is something to watch out for in the coming days and weeks.
