First Call: Todd Haley may be in line for another NFL gig; Steelers executive misses out on Raiders job

A former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator may find his way back into the NFL. A Steelers front office member is staying put despite an interview with another team.

It’s already NFL mock draft season. And we preview the Penguins’ next stop out west.

All that and more is in “First Call” for Thursday.

Back in the Big Apple?

Todd Haley may be getting a new NFL job. The former Steelers offensive coordinator is apparently under consideration to join Aaron Glenn’s staff with the New York Jets in some capacity.

That’s according to Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports.

While it's unclear exactly what role Todd Haley would have with the #Jets, sources say Aaron Glenn and him have had very positive dialogue about Haley joining Glenn's staff in New York.

Glenn feels it's important to have veteran, experienced offensive minds in the building. https://t.co/tCkH88xsT6

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 22, 2025

Glenn, a former Jets Pro Bowler, just got hired after being the defensive coordinator with the Detroit Lions.

Haley’s first job in the NFL was as a scouting assistant for the Jets. He served in that role from 1995-96 and was promoted to wide receivers coach from 1997-2000. That overlapped with the time that Glenn was a defensive back with the organization.

Haley was the Steelers offensive coordinator from 2012-17. Prior to that, he was the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Most recently, Haley was the head coach of the UFL’s Memphis Showboats in 2023.

Familiar names

John Spytek is the new general manager of the Las Vegas Raiders. He had been under consideration for the Steelers general manager job before Omar Khan was promoted to replace Kevin Colbert in 2022.

That news was broken by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.

Raiders expected to hire Buccaneers assistant GM John Spytek as new GM. (via @rapsheet) pic.twitter.com/89sxXwvQuv

— NFL (@NFL) January 22, 2025

Spytek was the Buccaneers’ vice president of player personnel back then. He was listed as Tampa’s assistant G.M. at the time of his hire in Vegas on Wednesday.

Steelers director of pro scouting Sheldon White interviewed for that position. Vegas approached the Steelers for permission to interview White last week.

And so it begins

The first of what will probably be 500 mock drafts from ESPN’s Mel Kiper is out. He has the Steelers selecting Emeka Egbuka in the first round at pick No. 21.

The senior wide receiver tallied 81 catches for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns on Ohio State’s national championship-winning team.

Emeka Egbuka will be a 1st round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft

➖Age: 22
➖Size: 6'1, 205 lbs

ONLY Two Wide Receivers in Ohio State HISTORY have recorded MULTIPLE 1,000+ Yard Receiving Seasons:

➖Marvin Harrison Jr.
➖Emeka Egbuka

Reminder that Egbuka CLEARED the 3.00+… pic.twitter.com/xjUsOBFmDI

— Austin Abbott (@AustinAbbottFF) January 23, 2025

Egbuka is 6-foot-1, 205 pounds. The Athletic has compared him to Detroit Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown and L.A. Chargers’ rookie standout Ladd McConkey.

“He’s a great route runner with speed and would eat up targets in the Steelers’ offense,” Kiper posted.

The Steelers never replaced Diontae Johnson after trading him last year. Due to his volatile personality and likely offseason contract demands, the Steelers also may want to trade George Pickens.

Taking a Round 1 wide receiver would make plenty of sense.

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Wounded Ducks

The Penguins’ seven-game road trip is off to a decent start. After splitting two games with a win in Buffalo and a loss in Washington, the Pens kicked off five straight contests out west with a 5-1 victory in Los Angeles on Monday.

That was impressive because the Pens had entered that game with the second-fewest road wins in the Eastern Conference, with just seven at the time. Meanwhile, the Kings were 14-3-1 at home.

Now Mike Sullivan’s crew is in Anaheim to tangle with a Ducks team that is struggling. They have lost four in a row and seven of eight.

The Ducks are really having problems scoring right now. Three of their past six games have been shutout losses. During this eight-game funk, they’ve been outscored 32-12.

On Halloween, the Penguins won a 2-1 overtime game in Pittsburgh between the clubs. Sidney Crosby scored both goals in the win.

SIDNEY CROSBY SERVES UP A HALLOWEEN TREAT WITH AN OVERTIME WINNER ???? pic.twitter.com/886ydHCRW8

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 1, 2024

Anaheim has just 42 points. That’s 13th in the 16-team Western Conference. Greg Cronin’s team has posted only nine home wins, the second-lowest total in the Western Conference. Utah, San Jose and Vancouver have eight apiece.