The expectation was that Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith would garner some interest for head coach vacancies this offseason.
While things were quiet surrounding interest in the Steelers' play-caller all week, things are now beginning to pick up.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Tennessee Titans have put in a request to interview Smith, who already has a connection to the franchise.
This is the first known interview request for Smith in this head-coach cycle.
Smith first joined the Titans in 2011 as a defensive quality control coach, and he would work his way up to offensive coordinator in the years that followed.
Over his two seasons as the Titans' play-caller, Smith helped revive the career of Ryan Tannehill and led Tennessee to an elite offense through 2020 after Tannehill took the reins of the starting job from Marcus Mariota in 2019.
Smith then left Tennessee to take the head-coach gig with the Atlanta Falcons, where he failed to post a winning season over three campaigns before being fired.
Smith quickly latched on with the Steelers in 2024, but the offense didn't have much success, with the unit limited by shoddy quarterback play and a lack of weapons.
Pittsburgh's offense has been better this season despite once again having a lack of weapons, and that's mostly thanks to improved quarterback play from Aaron Rodgers.
With Smith's strong connection to the Titans, he will be a serious candidate for their vacancy, assuming he has a desire to take a head-coaching gig in 2026.
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