NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Arthur Smith confirmed Thursday that the Tennessee Titans have reached out to interview him for their head coach opening.
“That’s not something I’m going to focus on because the only thing that matters is my current job,” Smith said. “It’s like trying to tell people all the time, I’m living the present. If you have perspective, you have life experiences, you’re wasting time worrying about the future if you deal with that. ... Anything’s like that’s a distraction.”
Smith coached for the Titans from 2011 when he started as a quality control assistant up to offensive coordinator in 2019, working under four different head coaches. He left after the 2020 season to be head coach of the Atlanta Falcons where he went 21-30 in three seasons.
He has been coordinator with the Steelers the past two seasons. He can't i nterview with his former team until three days after Pittsburgh's wild-card game Monday night against Houston, and that interview would be done virtually if the Steelers win.
“All my focus is on our guys, these guys, and anything I take away from that is not doing my job,” Smith said. "So all I care about is the Steelers and our players.”
Smith has other ties to Tennessee. His father was the late FedEx founder Fred Smith.
The Titans, the first team this season to fire its coach on Oct. 13, now are among eight NFL teams looking to hire a new coach. They reportedly also requested interviews with two other coordinators busy in the playoffs including Green Bay defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley and San Francisco defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
General manager Mike Borgonzi said Tuesday he had no timeline to hire the right person, and the number of men reported as candidates Tennessee has asked for permission to talk with or scheduled interviews with now has reached 11.
Hafley said Wednesday that having his name being mentioned as a head coaching candidate is flattering and humbling. The Packers are preparing for a wild-card game Saturday night in Chicago.
“I’m just honored to be in those. I think right now with all that stuff, it can be a distraction,” Hafley said.
AP Sports Writers Will Graves in Pittsburgh and Steve Megargee in Wisconsin contributed to this report.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
FILE - Tennessee Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi before the start of a football game in Nashville, Tenn, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka has advanced to the Brisbane International final for the third year in a row after a 6-3, 6-4 win Saturday over Karolina Muchová.
Sabalenka clinched the semifinal at Pat Rafter Arena on her fourth match point to advance to Sunday's final against Marta Kostyuk, who beat fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula 6-0, 6-3.
It was Kostyuk's third win in a row over a top-10 opponent. She came into the match with only one win in five previous matches against the American.
On Friday, in a rematch of last year's Australian Open final, Sabalenka broke Madison Keys in five straight service games on the way to a 6-3, 6-3 win. Last year at Melbourne Park, Keys beat Sabalenka for her first Grand Slam singles title.
The Brisbane International is a tuneup event for this year's Australian Open, which begins Jan. 18.
Although three match points slipped away amid a late flurry of pressure from the Czech player, Sabalenka sealed victory when a Muchová shot sailed long.
“I always try to stay in the present,” Sabalenka said. “I worked really hard and each match against her is just another opportunity to get the win and I’m super happy that today was the day when I was able to get the win. She is such a great player and I always enjoy battles against her.”
With 32 winners and all four break points saved, Sabalenka will look to carry that momentum into her 13th WTA 500-level final on Sunday.
In the men's tournament at Brisbane, Brandon Nakashima beat Aleksandar Kovacevic 7-6 (4), 6-4 in an all-American semifinal. Nakashima will play the winner of the later semifinal between top-seeded Daniil Medvedev and American Alex Michelsen in Sunday's final.
It will be Nakashima's first ATP Tour final in four years. The 24-year-old American has not lost a set this week.
“We’re really good friends," Nakashmia said of Kovacevic. “We have been practicing a lot the last month or so and it’s great to see him playing well at these kind of tournaments. It was a super tough match, right from the beginning.”
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Aleksandar Kovacevic, of the United States, reacts after missing a shot during his semifinal match against his compatriot Brandon Nakashima at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
Brandon Nakashima, of the United States, plays a shot during his semifinal match against his compatriot Aleksandar Kovacevic at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus waves at the crowd after she won her semifinal match against Karolína Muchova, of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-5, at the Brisbane International in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus plays a shot during her semifinal tennis match against Karolína Muchova of the Czech Republic at the Brisbane International in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
Karolína Muchova of the Czech Republic plays a shot during her semifinal tennis match against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus at the Brisbane International in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
Karolína Muchova, of the Czech Republic, plays a shot during her semifinal match against Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, at the Brisbane International in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, serves during her semifinal tennis match against Karolína Muchova, of the Czech Republic, at the Brisbane International in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, plays a shot during her semifinal match against Karolína Muchova, of the Czech Republic, at the Brisbane International in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
