Todd Haley is out in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers are allowing their offensive coordinator to walk, as first reported by NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport on Wednesday. Technically, it's not a firing as Haley's contract expired after the season, bringing his successful six-year run with the team to an end.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed the news in a team-issued statement:
"I have made the decision to not renew the contract for offensive coordinator Todd Haley. I would like to thank Todd for his contributions to our offense the past six years, and we wish him the best in his coaching future."
So what's next for the Steelers? The Steelersnamed coach Randy Fichtner offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Thursday. Fichtner is close with both Roethlisberger and offensive line coach Mike Munchak, who declined a second interview for the head-coaching vacancy in Arizona.
The move comes as no great surprise, with whispers surrounding Haley's fate for weeks. The play-caller helped author some of the finest work yet from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, but the duo struggled to get along.
"The relationship has been strained so much," Rapoport noted Wednesday on NFL Network, that the Steelers were forced to bring Fichtner down to the sideline "to serve as a conduit" between Big Ben and Haley. Their union stood in sharp contrast to the one Roethlisberger shared with close friend and former coordinator Bruce Arians.
Haley's departure comes one day after Roethlisberger revealed during his radio show 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 told NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala.
Perhaps that will change in a post-Haley world, with Big Ben operating as one of the most experienced signal-callers league-wide.
It's unclear where Haley -- the former Chiefs coach -- will wind up, but these guys always seem to land on their feet. He'll find work soon enough.
