Arthur Smith’s had two head coaching interviews this hiring cycle. If he lands a job, it sounds like it won’t be with the Chicago Bears. Appearing on Colin Cowherd’s The Herd Thursday, FS1’s Jordan Schultz didn’t include Smith on his short list of favorites for the Chicago job.
“For all intents and purposes, the Chicago job, and I haven’t said this publicly, it is a two-horse race between Mike McCarthy and Ben Johnson,” Schultz told Cowherd. “I think if Brian Flores goes in and wows them, he is still in that mix. But right now, I think McCarthy and I think Ben Johnson are the two leading candidates for Chicago.”
Virtually, Smith interviewed for the job Wednesday. The odds of him landing the gig always seemed low with Smith having a significantly better chances of becoming the New York Jets’ head coach, considered the favorite by at least one beat writer.
Schultz confirmed the Bears are looking for an offensive coach to mold QB Caleb Williams. While Smith brings that background, perhaps his run-first mentality isn’t as attractive as other candidates. Johnson and McCarthy are lauded as more creative offensive minds than the old-school Smith, who has run the ball at will at nearly every NFL stop.
If Smith doesn’t land either job, he’s set to return as the Steelers’ offensive coordinator for 2025. Pittsburgh finished with the 16th-ranked scoring offense in 2024, its best finish since 2020, but it came with a bitter finish, the Steelers averaging just 14.2 points per game over their final five, including playoffs. Had that number been their season average, it would’ve ranked last by a full point.
The NFL’s interest in Smith is a little curious. But he has a solid reputation and has worked with quarterbacks throughout his career. That includes building up Justin Fields in Pittsburgh, evening out his play and reducing the volatility Chicago couldn’t coach or scheme out of him. Perhaps that led to the Bears having cursory interest, but it doesn’t sound like Smith will be offered the job.
