With the Pittsburgh Steelers' season now over, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is shifting his focus back to his aspirations of becoming a head coach once again. The Bears and Jets have both requested interviews with Smith, and those discussions are expected to take place this week.
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According to Albert Breer of SI.com, Smith is set to meet with the Bears on Wednesday, followed by an interview with the Jets on Thursday.
Smith's tenure as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons ended with a 21-30 record over three seasons, but his work with quarterbacks like Justin Fields and Russell Wilson early in the 2023 season has drawn some praise.
While Smith's offensive strategies appeared to make strides early on, a late-season five-game losing streak to close out the Steelers' campaign left much to be desired, especially in terms of overall team performance.
Despite the underwhelming finish, Smith will now look to make his case to a couple of franchises that are hungry for improvement.
Both the Bears and Jets have had their fair share of struggles, and the prospect of landing a coach with a winning record and experience coaching a playoff-bound team could be seen as a step in the right direction.
For teams like Chicago and New York, a head coach with Smith's background, including leading a team to the postseason in the NFC, offers some semblance of hope.
While the Steelers' offense didn't finish the season on a high note, Smith's ability to develop quarterbacks and adjust schemes could be enough to pique the interest of teams looking to turn their fortunes around.
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