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Nov 15, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman reacts after an Irish touchdown against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Steelers Top Head Coach Candidates Emerging

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI
By Jack Markowski | Last updated Jan 13, 2026 3:52 PM ET

It appears that some early potential candidates for the Pittsburgh Steelers' head coaching vacancy have already begun emerging after Mike Tomlin stepped down from his role following the team's playoff elimination at the hands of the Houston Texans.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, some of the top defensive-minded names floating around in this year's cycle could fit what the Steelers are looking for in their next head coach, and he also threw Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman name out there as someone who could speculatively reconsider his options now that Pittsburgh has an opening.

"Several defensive coordinators -- from Los Angeles Rams' Chris Shula, Green Bay Packers' Jeff Hafley and Los Angeles Chargers' Jesse Minter -- seem to fit that mold," Fowler wrote. "Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman has rebuffed NFL intrigue but could revisit that for a job like this. The Steelers would be smart to modernize the offense, looking hard at that side of the ball, so several young offensive playcallers could come into play."

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Highlighting the NFL Defensive Coordinator Candidates

Though it's too early for the Steelers to have officially honed in on any candidates and either request or conduct any interviews, Fowler's reporting provides some insight into the team's thought process.

Shula and Minter are among the hottest names available in this year's cycle. The former is currently in his second year as the defensive coordinator of the Rams, who are set to face off against the Chicago Bears in the Divisional round of the playoffs this weekend.

Shula is also the grandson of legendary Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula and the son of former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Dave Shula.

Minter, on the other hand, was an assistant coach under John Harbaugh with the Baltimore Ravens from 2017 to 2020 before later serving as the defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan under Jim Harbaugh in 2022 and 2023, helping the program win the national title in the latter of those two years.

He then followed Jim Harbaugh to the Chargers when he was hired as the franchise's head coach ahead of the 2024 campaign and has been their DC over the last two seasons.

Hafley left his post as Boston College's head coach after the 2023 season and was hired by Matt LaFleur to fill the Packers' defensive coordinator vacancy leading into the 2024 campaign.

Will Freeman Leave Notre Dame for Steelers?

Freeman was expected to be a top name heading into the cycle, but he recently reaffirmed his commitment to Notre Dame and thus took himself out of the running for any NFL head coaching jobs.

Pittsburgh had previously considered Freeman as a potential replacement in the event that Tomlin left the organization, per The Athletic's Dianna Russini, and perhaps it'll circle back and make him an offer he can't refuse as arguably the top opening in this year's cycle.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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