Steelers Predicted to Keep 2 Assistants Under Mike McCarthy as Arthur Smith Exits

The Pittsburgh Steelers hiring Mike McCarthy as their next head coach will obviously have ramifications throughout the organization. More than likely, it will mean a mostly new coaching staff for the 2026 season.

But on Sunday, Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora argued two assistants have a decent chance of staying — Scott McCurley and Tom Arth.

“One coach is almost certain to stick around,” wrote Kozora. “Inside linebackers coach Scott McCurley is nearly a slam dunk to remain on staff. His history with McCarthy makes it obvious.”

For his long history with the Steelers new head coach, Kozora pinned McCurley as the most likely assistant to stay in Pittsburgh. Kozora, though, mentioned Arth remaining in Pittsburgh as another possibility.

“As a quarterback in 2006, [Arth] was briefly coached by McCarthy in Green Bay,” Kozora added. “It was just an offseason together; Arth never made the 53-man roster, but Arth attended McCarthy’s well-known quarterback camps.”

Kozora made arguments for McCurley and Arth to stay with the Steelers hours after offensive coordinator Arthur Smith landed a new job.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Smith will be the next offensive coordinator at Ohio State.

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Why Mike McCarthy Could Keep Scott McCurley, Tom Arth on Staff

It’s hard to argue against Kozora’s “slam dunk” assertion that McCurley will remain with the Steelers under McCarthy.

McCurley, who is a Western PA native like McCarthy, started his NFL career in the head coach’s first season with the Green Bay Packers. McCurley’s tenure with the Packers exactly matched McCarthy’s — 2006-18.

Over those 13 seasons, McCurley filled a variety of roles, rising to defensive assistant in his final year.

McCurley then coached under McCarthy again with the Dallas Cowboys from 2020-24.

During 2025, McCurley served as the Steelers inside linebackers coach. It was his first NFL role with another head coach besides McCarthy.

With that long previous relationship, it would be rather shocking if McCurley doesn’t stay under McCarthy.

Arth had a much briefer tenure with McCarthy’s Packers. But Arth seems to be a coach on the rise.

At 44 years old, he has college head coaching experience from John Carroll, Chattanooga and Akron. Arth was a pass game specialist with the Los Angeles Chargers from 2022-23 and then the Steelers quarterbacks coach the past two years.

In the past four years, Arth has worked with a variety of signal-callers, all of whom have experienced at least moderate success. He could be McCarthy’s choice to run the quarterback room, especially if the team sees an advantage in having former sixth-round pick Will Howard keeping the same position coach for his second season.

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Arthur Smith Lands Ohio State OC Gig: Report

Regardless of who plays quarterback for the Steelers in 2026, they will have a new offensive coordinator.

Smith will head to the college ranks for the same role he held with the Steelers. That’s a little surprising because over the previous seven seasons, Smith was either an NFL head coach or offensive coordinator. Smith also received head coach and offensive coordinator interviews from other NFL teams this month.

But Ohio State is obviously a big-time program, and Smith started his coaching career at the college ranks.

Smith’s Steelers offense posted pedestrian marks during the 2025 campaign. The unit finished 25th in total yards, 26th in rushing and 22nd in passing.

For a while, the offense was very efficient in the red zone, which contributed to the unit ranking 15th in points scored. But that efficiency died toward the end of the 2025 campaign.

Smith’s best success as an NFL play-caller came with the Tennessee Titans in 2020. The Titans were second in yards and fourth in points with Derrick Henry in the backfield.

Dave Holcomb is a sports reporter covering the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions. Originally from Pittsburgh, Holcomb has covered college and professional sports for outlets including FanSided, Rotowire and Yardbarker. More about Dave Holcomb