At one point in time, there were two Mike Sullivans working in Pittsburgh professional sports. The Pittsburgh Penguins employed a Mike Sullivan as their head coach from 2015 until Monday, when the team parted ways with their coach who led the team to a 409-255 record and two Stanley Cup titles.

Then, there was Pittsburgh Steelers’ senior offensive assistant and former quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan. Sullivan had been with the team since 2021, serving as the quarterbacks coach until 2023 before transitioning into a senior offensive assistant. Sullivan had been designated as the Steelers’ offensive play-caller in the 2023 season after Matt Canada’s firing.

That doesn’t appear to be the case anymore, as Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora pointed out, Sullivan’s name is no longer listed on the team’s front office page, where it had previously resided below tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts. Kozora deduced it has been that way since at least April 14, when the Steelers hired quality control coach Luke Smith.

Sullivan’s offense as a play-caller showed signs of life that Canada’s offense couldn’t, posting a 421-yard game in the first game after Canada’s firing. The offense struggled to produce points until Mason Rudolph took over under center.

When Arthur Smith was hired as the full-time offensive coordinator and Tom Arth was signed to be the quarterbacks coach, Sullivan interviewed for offensive coordinator jobs elsewhere, but failed to land one. As a result, he was named senior offensive assistant, where he was depicted participating in quarterback meetings, as captured by Hard Knocks.

It’s unclear if Sullivan’s role will be replaced, or if a coach will be hired to fulfill a different responsibility. The presumption is Sullivan was working under a one-year contract which expired.

Sullivan is an Army veteran, serving as an Infantry Officer upon graduating from West Point, where he was a two-year letter winner as a defensive back. He served in the 25th Infantry Division before becoming a coach. Sullivan has held posts with Humboldt State, Youngstown State, Ohio, the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos. He has also had multiple stints working for Army’s football program, as a linebackers coach, defensive backs coach, and as the Director of recruiting.