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Steelers Move on From Veteran Assistant Coach
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- Steelers Move on From Veteran Assistant Coach
From Steelers Now :
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan at practice on Jan. 2, 2024. -- Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers have parted ways with senior offensive assistant Mike Sullivan. Sullivan has been removed from the coaching roster on the team's website.
Sullivan spent four seasons with the Steelers. He started as quarterbacks coach under Matt Canada in 2021. He became the primary play-called for the team's offense when Canada was fired in 2023, sharing offensive coordinator duties with Eddie Faulkner.
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Sullivan was not considered to replace Canada. He interviewed for but did not get the Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator job , instead becoming the Steelers' senior offensive assistant when Arthur Smith was hired in 2024.
Pittsburgh Steelers senior offensive assistant Mike Sullivan with wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick during a preseason game on Aug. 18, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Sullivan, 58, previously served as the offensive coordinator for the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers .
A native of Santa Maria, California, he played football at Army and served as an infantry officer before getting into coaching. After stints at his alma mater, Youngstown State and Ohio, Sullivan moved up to the NFL as a quality control coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2002.
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He was hired by the Giants as wide receives coach in 2004 and promoted to quarterbacks coach in 2010, winning two Super Bowls as an assistant in New York while coaching Eli Manning .
Sullivan was hired by the Bucs as offensive coordinator in 2012, but his tenure lasted just two seasons, when the entire coaching staff of Greg Schiano was fired. He returned to the Giants as quarterbacks coach and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2016 for a two-year run under Ben McAdoo. McAdoo was fired mid-season in 2017 and Sullivan did not return for 2018.
He caught on with the Denver Broncos as quarterbacks coach in 2018 and was working as the director of recruiting at Army when the Steelers hired him in 2021.
The Steelers hired Luke Smith as an offensive quality control coach earlier this offseason. It's not clear if Smith will be a 1-to-1 replacement for Sullivan, but they once again have nine assistant coaches on the offense under Arthur Smith. Luke Smith , the nephew of Steelers special teams coordinator Danny Smith, was previously the wide receivers coach at Duquesne.
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Sullivan was removed and Smith was added to the team's online coaching roster sometimes after April 1. Steelers Depot first reported the news of Sullivan's departure. The Steelers do not typically make announcements regarding the departures of assistant coaches, or the hiring of quality control coaches like Smith.
Sullivan's role during his season as senior offensive assistant was never very clearly defined by the team. He mostly worked with the wide receivers, and head coach Mike Tomlin said he was the team's "YAC coach," working on yards after catch details with the team's receivers.
Sullivan is not related to former Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan , who was fired by the team on Monday.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Steelers Move on From Veteran Assistant Coach
