When the Pittsburgh Steelers lost their offensive line coach to a college job late in the 2012 season, Sean Kugler finished out the year before departing.

When their offensive line coach accepted a college position this year, Adrian Klemm remained on the staff for one more game before Mike Tomlin let him out of his contract.

Tomlin said Tuesday that Klemm was permitted to leave for Oregon with two weeks remaining in the regular season to eliminate the “perception” of distractions as the Steelers chase a playoff berth.

When Klemm accepted a job with Oregon last week, he was expected to leave the Steelers at the end of the season. Then, the organization announced Monday that Klemm would leave immediately, with assistant Chris Morgan taking the job on an interim basis for the rest of the year.

“The move eliminates the potential of any questions regarding distractions,” Tomlin said at his weekly news conference. “Let me be clear, I had no reservations about Klemm’s commitment and his willingness to work in detail, but it’s the potential perception that you want to combat, whether it’s inside or outside.”

“You want to eliminate questions before they develop. It’s a critical stage of the season for us, a critical week. The road is extremely narrow. We’re circling the wagons, and that was one of the ways I thought would be appropriate to do so in an effort to engineer victory this week and get singularly, collectively and professionally focused.”

Nine years earlier, Kugler was hired in December as head coach at his alma mater, UTEP. He took the job under the condition that he complete the season with the Steelers, who finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs.

At Oregon, Klemm will be the associate head coach and run game coordinator in addition to coaching the Ducks offensive linemen. His last game with the Steelers was a 36-10 loss at Kansas City that dropped their record to 7-7-1.

Morgan will be in charge of the offensive line when the Steelers play the Cleveland Browns on Monday night, the Baltimore Ravens in the regular-season finale Jan. 9 and any potential postseason games.

“It provides tremendous clarity for us as we zero in on the last component of this season,” Tomlin said about the timing of Klemm’s departure. “It gives me an opportunity to evaluate C-Mo, who will have an opportunity to be elevated in his role.”

In 15 games with the Steelers, Klemm oversaw an offensive line that features two rookie starters and only one player remaining as a starter at his position from 2020. The Steelers are No. 29 out of 32 teams in rushing yardage, the line has allowed 35 sacks and the offense has gone five games without scoring a touchdown in the first half.

Those rookies, center Kendrick Green and left tackle Dan Moore Jr., have struggled at times making the transition to the pros under Klemm’s watch.

Klemm, 44, was the team’s assistant line coach for two seasons before he was promoted in February after the dismissal of predecessor Shaun Sarrett.

Morgan was the offensive line coach for six seasons before accepting the job to be Klemm’s assistant this year. He also worked on staffs in Oakland, Washington and Seattle.

Tomlin said Morgan will be a candidate for the full-time job.

“I’m excited about the spin and what his perspective will bring us,” Tomlin said. “We also have an additional day for preparation. There is an increased opportunity there from a schematic and planning standpoint to have his presence felt, so I’m excited and optimistic about that.”

Although it’s unusual for NFL coaches under contract to accept jobs at the collegiate level, it happened in 2012 with Kugler. Tomlin noted the “landscape that is coaching is changing each and every year.”

“We see decisions are being made earlier in the process,” Tomlin said. “The processes are happening faster, people are making hires. The financial component is making college football much more competitive.”

When Tomlin is interviewing candidates for positions on his staff, he doesn’t ask whether the NFL is a dream job or if the candidate would consider returning to the college ranks. Klemm, for instance, was at SMU and UCLA before joining the Steelers in 2019. It was his first time coaching in the NFL.

“Most of the guys, their destination job is head coaching at some level,” Tomlin said. “That’s assumed in this business. More than anything, I talk about an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. That is what’s expected from me. I expect to give those guys an honest and fair wage, and I expect to get all of them professionally. It requires no additional discussions other than that.

“There is a change as a component of our vocation. Those changes happen year-in and year-out. I don’t fear those changes. It’s just a function of what it is we do at the highest level.”

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)