Former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley will make a return to the sidelines this spring as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League.

The USFL, a new professional football league, will begin play April 16. Coaches for four of the eight teams were announced Thursday.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for me to get back into coaching at the professional level,” Haley said in a news release. “It’s been a while since I led a team on field, and I’ve missed it. It’s also rare that a head coach, as it was once put, gets to pick all the groceries, and fix the meal. This is going to be a lot of fun, and I expect the fans to enjoy the competition.”

Haley was the Steelers offensive coordinator from 2012-17. He also was the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs from 2009-11 and had assistant coaching stints with the Jets, Bears, Cowboys, Cardinals and, most recently, the Browns.

Haley and fellow former NFL head coach Mike Riley (New Jersey Generals), along with Bart Andrus (Philadelphia Stars) and Kevin Sumlin (Houston Gamblers) will guide teams in the inaugural season.

The coaches will be responsible for player evaluation and selection. Each team also will have a director of football operations, who will assist the coach with roster management.

“Today is a monumental day for the new USFL as we hit the 100 days to kickoff mark,” said Brian Woods, USFL President of Football Operations. “To attract Mike Riley and Todd Haley, two former NFL head coaches, Bart Andrus, a former head coach in NFL Europe and CFL, plus an experienced college head coach in Kevin Sumlin, to the USFL, speaks to the quality of the league we’re building. They all share our belief in high-quality spring football, and we’re honored to have them lead their respective teams this year. We can’t wait to hit the field!”

A player selection meeting will be held Feb. 22-23; training camps open March 21. Each team will have a 38-player roster and seven-player practice squad.

The Pittsburgh Maulers will be part of the eight-team league. A coach has yet to be named for the organzation.

Each team will play a 10-game schedule, and there also will be semifinals between the top two teams in each division, and a championship game between division winners.

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