At least publicly, it doesn’t appear the Hamilton Tiger-Cats would hold Scott Milanovich back if he gets the chance to become a head coach elsewhere in the CFL this off-season.
“I’d love to keep Scott but we love to see people flourish and see what they can do; what’s best for their family. Scott and I’s relationship is phenomenal, extremely grateful that he was willing to come in here, help and be a part of it. I’d love to see Scott back but at the same time, we don’t hold people back, we encourage people to go out and soar,” head coach and president of football operations Orlondo Steinauer said.
“I don’t speak on where he may be a candidate or where he may not, I’m saying any opportunities that come up for our staff, we’re always extremely supportive of that. That doesn’t mean that we wouldn’t put together something to try to keep Scott.”
Milanovich joined the Ticats as a senior assistant in May and took over offensive play-calling duties in August after offensive coordinator Tommy Condell was let go. Under Condell, Hamilton went 3-5 and averaged 20.0 points per game. The black and gold went 5-5 and averaged 24.8 points per game after Milanovich took over, earning a spot in the East Semi-Final.
The native of Butler, Penn. has been linked to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who are currently without a head coach after Craig Dickenson wasn’t offered a contract extension. Milanovich has previously worked with current Riders’ quarterback Trevor Harris and would bring extensive coaching experience to Regina if hired. Saskatchewan has yet to conduct any formal interviews, though general manager Jeremy O’Day hopes to make a hire by the end of November.
The 50-year-old served as the head coach of the Toronto Argonauts from 2012 to 2016, winning one Grey Cup. He also won two CFL championships while as the offensive coordinator with the Montreal Alouettes.
Milanovich was hired as the head coach in Edmonton in 2020, though he never saw the field due to the cancellation of the season. He resigned the following year to become the quarterbacks coach with the Indianapolis Colts, a role he held for two years.
It remains unclear if the Tiger-Cats will make a head coaching change after exiting the first round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season, which means it’s possible that Milanovich could be offered the headset in Steeltown. However, if Steinauer is back in 2024, it doesn’t appear as though he plans to stand in the way of Milanovich potentially departing for the prairies.
