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'Enjoy where I'm at': Steelers' OC candidate hesitant about leaving job
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

'Enjoy where I'm at': Steelers' offensive coordinator candidate hesitant about leaving job

Originally posted on Steeler Nation  |  By Parker Abate  |  Last updated Jan 29, 2026 9:23 PM ET

The wheels have not stopped turning ever since the Pittsburgh Steelers hired Super Bowl XLV champion Mike McCarthy to be the franchise's next head coach. There are going to be plenty of changes in the Steel City, which means a fresh staff and revamped roster. 

With the new league year not beginning until March, the first focus for the new regime will be putting together an intelligent group of individuals that will make up the coaching staff. This will lead to plenty of new names coming to town that the Black and Gold faithful are not necessarily familiar with.

McCarthy made it very clear during his introductory news conference that he will be calling the plays on the offensive side of the ball. That doesn't mean, however, that an offensive coordinator won't be named. Sometimes head coaches relieve themselves of duties to worry about the team as a whole, but it's also good to have someone with the title to implement his own ideas.

Scott Tolzien operates as the New Orleans Saints quarterbacks coach and played for McCarthy once upon a time while he was a backup as a member of the Green Bay Packers. He was immediately an option once the veteran head coach was hired.

While speaking to reporters in preparation for the Senior Bowl, Tolzien told a group of reporters that he appreciates the interest, but he made it very clear that he is also very happy with his role in New Orleans.

It's a political answer from Tolzien. There's no reason for him to speak negatively his current job in case something with the Steelers doesn't work out, but it's also possible that he doesn't want to be a part of McCarthy's staff at this moment in time. Coaches speak a certain language that isn't always transcribable; however, Pittsburgh may have to pay up because of how happy the retired quarterback is with the Saints.

The cherry on top for Tolzien may be working with Aaron Rodgers, a legendary future Hall of Famer whom he used to back up in Green Bay. The dots are starting to connect regarding McCarthy's vision, but it's hard to argue that Tolzien could see more of an opportunity in continuing to work with Tyler Shough in New Orleans. If the 2025 rookie turns into a phenom with Tolzien coaching him in 2026, there could be endless opportunities for the Saints quarterbacks coach in the next cycle.

Overall, Tolzien's words were a bit mixed when speaking to the media scrum at the Senior Bowl. He is certainly happy with where he is currently, but also appreciates the opportunity to move up in the NFL ranks. He respects McCarthy as his former coach, and now the question becomes if he is willing to leave the Saints in order to work with an offense that has no true answer at the quarterback position.

Steelers will let Mike McCarthy lead the way on offense

Pittsburgh's brass didn't hire McCarthy simply to be a CEO. The idea behind the move was to bring a new way of thinking to the Steel City. The front office wanted to make the offense more innovative and clearly desired a different approach on that side of the ball. The cherry on top would be bringing in a former quarterback to be the offensive coordinator, specifically with the goal of molding a young passer to be the future of the franchise.

This article first appeared on SteelerNation.com and was syndicated with permission.

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