PITTSBURGH —The next job might be calling for Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, but he's not ready to be done with the one he's currently working on.
His former team, the Tennessee Titans , formally requested to interview Smith on Thursday for their head coaching job, a vacancy that has existed since October. It's that time of the year, as the NFL coaching carousel has spun up to full speed following the end of the regular season. There are now eight head coaching vacancies around the league.
Smith acknowledged the Titans' request during his weekly media availability on Thursday, but said he's 100% focused on the job at hand right now.
"I was just informed of it, but here's the thing: The NFL cycle is what it is. Obviously, I appreciate somebody (asking), but that's not something I'm focused on, because the only thing that matters is my current job," Smith said. "It's like I try to tell people all the time, live in the present. If you have perspective, if you life experiences, you're wasting time thinking about the future. You deal with that, just like anything, in the offseason. You deal with it. Anything like that is a distraction. All of my focus is on our guys, these guys and anything I take away from that, I'm not doing my job. So all I care about is the Steelers and our players."
Smith can't interview with the Titans until next Wednesday, Jan. 14, and at that point, the interview would have to be virtual. He can't interview in-person until Jan. 19, and then only if the Steelers have been eliminated from the playoffs.
Smith dealt with the same process last year, when he interviewed for the head coaching job of the New York Jets , which he ultimately lost out to Aaron Glenn.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Arthur Smith Not Focused on Head Coach Opportunities: 'All I Care About Is the Steelers'
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