Pittsburgh Steelers offensive co-ordinator Todd Haley will not return for the 2018 season, ending a six-year run with the team according to multiple reports Wednesday.
The 50-year-old Haley’s contract is expiring and he won’t get a new deal to remain in Pittsburgh, sources told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The move comes after the Steelers’ 45-42 divisional playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
The play-calling Haley’s offenses had been among the NFL’s best working with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, but the duo reportedly struggled to get along.
“The relationship has been strained so much,” Rapoport told NFL Network, adding the Steelers were forced to bring quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner down to the sideline “to serve as a conduit” between Big Ben and Haley.
Haley and Roethlisberger met this week and spoke fondly of their season together, the quarterback said Tuesday.
“You might butt heads at times – it doesn’t mean that you have any personal problems,” Roethlisberger said in response to reports about a fractured relationship with Haley.
Roethlisberger revealed during his radio show on Tuesday that he wasn’t allowed to audible out of Haley’s play calls, saying that rule came directly from Tomlin.
“I have asked for it. I am fine with it. If they want to call it, I’m all for it,” Roethlisberger said.
Pittsburgh’s offense ranked eighth in points per game and just 20th in rushing offense this season, but finished third in total yards.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was vague on Tuesday when discussing the future of his coaching staff, including Haley.
“Some conversations need to be had. Some contracts are up, some contacts aren’t,” Tomlin said.
“I’m not ready to discuss that at this point. Part of that, gaining that understanding is having those conversations. You’ll hear about it as they unfold, I’m sure, if there’s anything to be heard. But I’m not there yet.”
Tomlin was asked whether Haley’s work was satisfactory.
“What you’re willing to do is what defines you and what you’re willing to do on a consistent basis - how selfless are you?” Tomlin said.
“How willing are you to put our goals and agenda in front of anything that might be on your checklist or to-do list?”
Before Haley came to Pittsburgh in 2012, he was the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs (2019-11) for three seasons, going 19-26.
He also served as the offensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals (2007-08).
Fichtner is expected to be promoted to offensive coordinator, a source told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.
Jets fire OC Morton after one season
The New York Jets will move on from offensive co-ordinator John Morton after one season with the team, according to multiple reports Wednesday. According to the New York Daily News, which first reported the story, quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates is “a strong candidate” to fill the co-ordinator vacancy, but it is not a done deal yet. The Jets finished 28th in yards per game and 24th in points in 2017, Morton’s first season as a coordinator in the NFL. Prior to quarterback Josh McCown’s season-ending injury in Week 14, New York ranked 17th in yards per game and tied for 10th in offensive points per game, despite cutting veterans Nick Mangold and Brandon Marshall last offseason and losing wideout Quincy Enunwa to a season-ending neck injury in August.
Morton spent the previous six years coaching wide receivers for the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints, after a four-year stint at USC as wide receivers coach and then offensive co-ordinator.
Bates joined the Jets last offseason for his second stint as quarterbacks coach, after holding the same position for one year in 2005. He has one year of experience as an offensive coordinator, in 2010 with the Seattle Seahawks, and was out of coaching from 2013-16. He previously spent time with the Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Todd Haley
