Before becoming the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ defensive coordinator this offseason, Patrick Graham ran into some prior issues dealing with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
According to a story from ESPN’s Kris Rhim, Kalyn Kahler and Jason Reid titled “Inside NFL Rooney Rule coaches say is rigged against them”, Graham was set to meet with Jaguars owner Shahid Khan and executives from the team for dinner after interviewing for their head coaching job in January 2025.
Instead, no one from the organization showed up.
“Patrick Graham sat at a table set for five at a Jacksonville steakhouse in January 2025,” Rhim, Kahler and Reid wrote. “He had shown up to meet with Jaguars owner Shahid Khan and team executives after interviewing for the head coaching job earlier that day.
“The then-Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator waited alone for about 30 minutes, his hopes for getting the job fading minute by minute. He took a selfie with the empty chairs.”
The story also revealed that Graham ran into Liam Coen, who was eventually hired by Jacksonville, as he was leaving the team’s facility and that he was “hurt through the process” of not getting the job rather than simply being passed over for it.
Graham Deserves Another HC Opportunity
Though it would sting for Mike McCarthy and Pittsburgh to lose its DC within the next year or two, Graham is more than qualified for an opportunity to be an NFL head coach.
A New England Patriots assistant under Bill Belichick from 2009 to 2015, Graham’s first opportunity as a DC came with the New York Giants from 2020 to 2021, where he helped elevate a unit consisting of Leonard Williams, Dexter Lawrence and Xavier McKinney.
From there, Graham joined the Las Vegas Raiders in that same role ahead of the 2022 campaign and remained with the team under three different head coaches through 2025.
Now, he has reunited with McCarthy, whom he worked under as the Green Bay Packers’ linebackers coach and run game coordinator in 2018.
Graham has plenty of talent to work with in Pittsburgh at all levels of the defense. The group hadn’t quite met expectations over the past few years under Mike Tomlin and Teryl Austin, but the hope is that a new system and vision can turn the tide.
The Steelers have all the pieces to become one of the league’s top units, and if Graham finds a way to realize that potential, teams should have plenty of serious interest in having him fill their head coaching vacancies.
Though the situation with Jacksonville was disappointing, Graham told ESPN in a statement that he wouldn’t have ended up with the Steelers without it and that he’s looking forward to whatever is to come during his tenure with the organization.
“During the interview process with Jacksonville following the 2024 season, I mentioned previously that the communication and transparency could have been better,” Graham said. “But I am also glad it worked out for Liam [Coen], and I wouldn’t be here in Pittsburgh without that experience. I am grateful to be with the Steelers and excited about the opportunities that lie ahead in 2026 and beyond.”
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