The Pittsburgh Steelers have fired an assistant coach just three months after initially hiring him.
The Steelers parted ways with assistant special teams coach Derius Swinton on Friday. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the move was due to an unspecified violation of club policy.
Pittsburgh Steelers and Sr. special teams coach Derrius Swinton have parted ways due to violation of club policy, per league sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 29, 2026
Swinton was among the coaches hired by Mike McCarthy in February after McCarthy was named the team’s head coach. The 41-year-old spent last season with the Las Vegas Raiders as their interim special teams coordinator, and also served as the Los Angeles Chargers’ special teams coordinator in 2021.
Obviously, it is highly unusual for a team to let go of a coaching hire after three months without the coach ever getting the chance to work a single game with the team. Whatever rules violation the Steelers allege happened must have been a serious one.
The Steelers should not be thrown off too much by the abrupt firing. They still have special teams coach Danny Crossman in place, though they will presumably seek to hire a new assistant.
