Arthur Smith on HC interviews: You can’t cheat the game, you owe it to the players

Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has received interview requests from several teams this coaching cycle, but told reporters this week that he’s keeping his focus where it needs to be.

Smith, who joined Pittsburgh in the 2024 season after being fired as Atlanta’s head coach, praised the league for trying to slow down the interview process. But he also noted that, having already gone through the rigors of interviews, he now handles it better.

“(I) can’t become a nuisance if you let it,” Smith said at his press conference on Wednesday. “I think, first of all, you are extremely humble because there are so many great candidates. There are guys coaching in small college ball that may never get the chance, but it’s nice, I guess, that someone wants to talk to you. But at the end of the day, the league has tried to slow it down, which is a good thing, because you’re sitting here, you’ve got one shot, you don’t know how many chances you have. to get into the playoffs and have a chance to win it all. And you can’t cheat the game, you owe it to the players. You owe it to the organization. And I think after you’ve done it before, it’s a lot easier to just push it away.

“I think the first time, no matter how much you try to compartmentalize it, it’s all about you. So there’s a completely different feel, like I said. I mean, I’ll get to it when the time is right, but I can’t waste my time and cheat the game and cheat the players. And in this organization, our focus has to be on Baltimore.”

Smith will not be available for a virtual interview until after Pittsburgh’s game against Baltimore on Saturday night.

“(T)his is a good thing the league is trying to slow down, because it’s doing that,” Smith said. “You can’t blame someone for wanting a job, but that attention doesn’t have to be on me, or my concern doesn’t have to be on that, my concern has to be on this job. And that’s all that matters.”

The Steelers finished the 2024 season 16th in scoring and 23rd in total yards. Smith compiled a 21-30 record with three 7-10 seasons with the Falcons from 2021-2023.