The longest-tenured active NFL HC, Mike Tomlin continues to move closer to Chuck Noll‘s duration number in Pittsburgh. The four-time Super Bowl winner logged 23 seasons; Tomlin is now in Year 19. He received another extension — a three-year deal — last June.
Another season without a playoff win followed, further establishing a trend for a franchise that has settled into a sector with a historically high floor. Of course, the Steelers have not enjoyed a particularly high ceiling in many years. They have not won a playoff game since a six-field goal performance edged the Chiefs, who used that home loss as a launch point to trade up for Patrick Mahomes, in the 2016 divisional round. The Steelers are 0-5 in the postseason since.
[RELATED: Steelers Denied Bears Permission To Meet With Tomlin]
Tomlin, 53, received assurances in January — after a 10-3 start ended with five straight losses, the last a one-sided wild-card defeat in Baltimore — he would be back for a 19th season. While the Steelers have drifted into strangely desperate territory during this months-long Aaron Rodgers pursuit, the extended courtship does not indicate Tomlin is coaching for his job. On the contrary, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac indicates the accomplished HC’s seat is not particularly hot.
The dynamics of this situation have generated interest for years, as Tomlin’s popularity among Steelers fans appears to be waning — as January one-and-dones mount — while national respect remains. The Super Bowl-winning HC, of course, has never experienced a losing season in his lone HC gig. He has done well to navigate undesirable QB situations for several years, dating back to the 2019 season Ben Roethlisberger largely missed with an elbow injury that effectively ended his prime. Tomlin reaching a 10-7 mark with Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph in 2023 proved quite impressive, and the Steelers — who carried a minus-20 point differential into those playoffs — were within one score of the No. 2-seeded Bills until midway through the fourth quarter.
Famously having employed only three HCs since 1969, the Steelers give their power brokers plenty of time to operate. Kevin Colbert was in place for 23 years as Steelers GM or de facto GM, and it would stand to reason Omar Khan is not on a hot seat entering his fourth year in the role. He and Tomlin have continued to fortify a high-end defense, after the unit’s work had dipped a bit during the “Killer B’s” period, that has kept the operation afloat during this period of quarterback uncertainty. Though, the Steelers have also seen their QB situations produce undesirable results for a while.
That has led to this Rodgers waiting period. The Steelers are still banking on the 41-year-old passer to end his lengthy free agency stay and sign; Rodgers and Tomlin have been in contact during most of the offseason. As of last weekend, however, the team did not have true assurances Rodgers would ultimately commit. Rodgers has dropped hints, as he makes public appearances while not being part of the Steelers during OTAs. A prediction that a late-May signing would commence proved inaccurate.
The Steelers acquired an additional 2026 third-round pick (via the George Pickens trade), as a pursuit of a hopeful long-term QB option looms for next year, but Rodgers is the team’s main focus — to the point this pursuit is overshadowing the steady AFC North outfit’s offseason — for 2025.
The Steelers also won a playoff game in 2015, an Andy Dalton-less wild-card contest in Cincinnati marred by late Bengals penalties, but followed their Super Bowl XLV appearance with one-and-done showings in 2011 and 2014. A stretch with three postseason wins in 14 seasons is not a great look for a head coach; though, having zero losing seasons in that span certainly is. Pittsburgh has opted for stability, but it will be interesting to see if this Rodgers- or Kirk Cousins–led season changes Steelers ownership’s view of the situation. Tomlin has certainly earned the benefit of the doubt, even as frustration mounts, and a 20th season will mark the next milestone. How much longer should the team proceed in this direction?
Trade him to move up in the 2026 draft. Enough is enough. I don’t want to hear anymore excuses from Tomlin or his fanboys.
Keep pushing that idea if you want to. It will never, ever happen.
lol trade him where? To Colts?
I agree madman..he’s lost his flare…he’s stale..he should be on the hot seat
He’s Andy Reid in Philly but he’s got a ring
Just how bad at your job do you have to be to get on Pittsburgh’s hot seat?
Tomlin is out of a job when fans can’t tell the difference between the Steelers and the Pirates.
Aren’t we there?
So his kid died at the facility, which clearly had him distracted? Also, he’s in a weak equivalent to the NFC East 13 years ago with a defense that used to be elite that stinks now after a spending spree to make his team what was dubbed a Dream Team at the time? Like I said, some of you people just say anything because you think it sounds good. On the contrary, he’s in the same division with a guy who has won two of the last 6 MVPs, one of them unanimously, and should have won again last year and another guy almost as good, and he led that division 80% of the year last year. Real bum. He’s lost his fastball, lmao. Do you understand how insane you and other Steeler fans sound?
Have not played a divisional round game in 7 years. Pittsburgh puts up with mediocrity because they are scared of the abyss
Yeah, becoming the Raiders, Dolphins, or Browns should be on everyone’s wish list. These franchises were once their peers. Meanwhile, only KC and the Patriots have won Super Bowls from the AFC while you’re hand wringing about losing playoff games with duck tape at QB in a division with two of the top three in the league. Talk about delusion.
More excuses for mediocrity. The fact their division is so loaded means you need a better plan at QB than Mason Rudolph. The Browns beat their doors off in a playoff game. Choose wisely who you look down upon.
Excuses or reality. You didn’t dispute anything I said. Meanwhile every other AFC North team’s trophy case is bare, two of them with one of the three best QBs in the league, and the rest of the AFC outside of the Chiefs and Patriots don’t have rings to show for the time you’re speaking of. Meanwhile, you haven’t had a functional QB to compete for anything in over half a decade, yet you’re complaining.
My team is in the NFC and I’m completely neutral lmao. I have no reason to irrationally hate the Steelers. Saying their situation is okay because only two other AFC teams have won a super bowl recently is a massive excuse. Every AFC team outside of Miami, Raiders and Denver have playoff game more recently, including the entire AFC South. Mike Tomlin is a good coach but not 20 years with no playoff success since 2016 good. He should absolutely be on the hot seat. They lost a playoff game to Blake Bortles and you have the audacity to say it’s just a Brady or Mahomes thing
Who said it’s a mahomes or Brady thing. Fact is that no other team has won the Super Bowl from the AFC, yet whiny Steeler fans are the ones who think they need a new coach to fix that. I take that back, Raven fans are dumb like this too in certain corners. They haven’t had a QB capable of taking them anywhere since Roethlisberger tore his elbow. That’s the only point people make about this topic. The NBA is going through this silliness right now where good coaches get fired just because. Like the Knicks have stunk for a quarter century, yet fans and the media crucified the guy who has fixed that dysfunctional mess just because. Mike Malone has one of the worst contracts on the books in the league and still had the Nuggets in the mix for another run and got fired right before the season ended. The Steelers main problem is that they have no QB and haven’t since 2019, their owner is too involved, and they’re cheap, but yeah, let’s complain about the coaching getting more than the roster warrants every year because you can’t overcome that come playoff time. But like I said, wish to be the Raiders or Dolphins who started cycling coaches and now suck because you think a Super Bowl is your birth right.
Just say you are content with 9-8, flipping a coin if that’s good enough for a playoff spot then getting blown out in the wild card. That’s all Tomlin is good for anymore in Pittsburgh
I’m not a Steeler fan for one. I just think fans are insane.
So, he just went to the playoffs and has won a Super Bowl. Only a FOOL would think he should be on a hot seat.
When was that last Super Victory, again? Better yet, when did he win his last playoff game? Combine that with how he’s bungled the QB situation since Roethlisberger’s elbow injury and it should be getting warm.
Check out any list of how long it’s been since every active or recently active coach has won a Super Bowl. Only one wins one per season. I would have liked to see more SB or playoff wins from Tomlin’s Steelers, but many great coaches haven’t won many, or any, SB’s recently. For every disappointment they’ve had with not going farther, there’s been a season where you should be astonished that they went as far as they did.
I know. The other thing that irks me about these fans is that they act like winning Super Bowls is easy, especially without a qB. It’s extremely hard with one. It’s nearly impossible without one in the modern NFL. Then, when the other thing is they never have a replacement when you take in everything that job comes with of ownersship involvement and cheapness. These are the kinds of people who would have been all about hiring Josh McDaniels for the job when he was hot as a match as the Patriots OC, thinking they were going to the Super Bowl. Shane Steichen. Doug Pederson. Name these people who have come and gone after bombing these jobs. Even some 49er fans are delusional about that. Shanahan can’t close the Super Bowl deal. Okay. You remember the years before and after Harbaugh? If you got a good coach, you don’t go looking for something new just because.
So you think Kenny Pickett was an NFL starter, lmao? I think he handled that well since he still won with that albatross around his neck. How’d that go for Belichick in a similar situation and a worse division? Until the front office gives him a real QB to move forward with, this is silliness. But I forgot, NFL fans are delusional and believe coaches can take Trent Dilfers and become perennial contenders.
Real, don’t blame ownership for Belichick. It was Bill who made the decision about Brady, he made ALL the decisions concerning players. He obviously knows it was ALL Brady not him.
I’m not blaming ownership. I’m saying how did it go for him without the HOF QB. Not well. Tomlin has essentially been operating in this environment ever since Roethlisberger tore his elbow that season.
The tomlin apologists are out in full bloom. It’s been 15 years since a super bowl appearance. Gets destroyed in round 1 of the playoffs. He’s stale…maybe a change will light his fire. But not with the steelers. He’s burned out. Quit making excuses for his failures. Non losing seasons when you go 9-8 10-7 are pure crap in the idays NFL.
I for one don’t consider myself a Tomlin apologist; I criticize him often. What I am is a realist.
Same. He has issues, namely his defense fades late in seasons, but the guy has done miracle work with that QB depth chart. Those are just the facts. It’s like you Steeler fans do realize Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow are in your division, don’t you, and the Steelers led that division 75% of last year? It’s freaking insane.
Who’s apologizing? We’re just wondering why you people are like this. Okay. Who should replace him. Give me a name. Give me a name that works in that structure that is going to take you where you think you should go with the QB situation you have. After Ben Johnson goes 6-11 this year, watch the same people get quiet again who think some genius scheme is the difference in winning and losing. Players win games. People don’t forget to coach. Belichick is the best example of this. He lost Brady, and suddenly it was 4-12 seasons again despite his defense still being well above average. Sean Payton lost Brees, and he went 9-8, which is why he immediately got up and out of New Orleans. You’re fortunate the guy even still wants the job because he could have his pick if he left there, and he’d be very successful.
Most fans are fools lmao. They’d replace Tomlin with a coach just to go 3–14 lmao
Yep. This is why I bring up the Dolphins and Raiders. Dolphin fans were itching to get rid of Shula. They don’t have playoff wins in HD since they went down this road of looking for this savior coach, starting with Jimmy Johnson. Remember how he was going to make them the 90s Cowboys. But the NFL had changed since 1991 when he took that job, and it went terribly. Marino was washed up, and he couldn’t duplicate the success. Meanwhile, they’ve tried everything since then and finally got a decent coach if not a championship level coach, and it’s taken 25 years. Raiders wanted to be like everybody else when they were just like the Steelers in the 80s. They’d never had seasons like the 4-12 type seasons. Then, they started cycling offensive gurus and every type of coach under the sun and have sucked ever since outside of that brief time the first go around with Gruden after being the best team in football for 30 years. It seems like a lot of Steeler fans want to be next.
Are the Steelers a mediocre team? Yes, you can certainly argue that.
Is Tomlin a mediocre coach? Absolutely not. By any parameter, metric or statistic you choose to put out there, he’s a borderline HOF’er, recent playoff success or not.
Has Tomlin’s style gotten stale in the Steeler locker room? Possibly, yes.
Should the Steelers make a coaching change just to freshen things up? Not unless they’re absolutely sure that they have a replacement who is unequivocally better than Tomlin. And “better” doesn’t mean “anyone but him” or “I’m tired of him”; I’m tired of many things he does too. But different is not always better.
The idea that Tomlin is the problem and a bad coach is so insane to me that I rarely get to say…
A strong argument can be made that the Steelers should move on, but because he’s TOO good of a coach and serves essentially as a life support system for a roster that should have been allowed to flatline (and rebuild) a while ago.
He hasn’t had a .500 roster in years, but still keeps them above it…so, OF COURSE, they will get exposed and destroyed in the playoffs…the team should have never been there.
There are two paths…
A) Tread water with a proven coach in the hopes you eventually strike gold in the draft (Tomlin has never had a draft pick in the single digits ever) drafting mid to late every year. (This is what they are doing and going to do, BTW…so it’s all moot, but…)
B) Move on from him and find a modern Hue Jackson to do an epic teardown and rebuild. Yinzers could never endure what Browns’ fans have and the Rooneys know it.
I know a lot of people think there is a…
C) Hire a magic coach and then a team with mediocre QB, WR, RB, OL, DL and secondary rooms will win #7 but…yeah, no.
Exactly. As you point out, the browns are the perfect example of this. But Steeler fans are like bro, we deserve to win a playoff game with Keny Pickett and Mason Rudolph at QB, lmao. Pure delusion.
I notice when people are arguing against a coach like for instance Belichick, they always bring up his “coaching tree” and how bad it is, all his coordinators failed as HC, (they say Vrabel doesnt count) how come nobody ever brings up Tomlin’s non existent coaching tree? He has had several assistants who have gone on to coaching roles, but not many have achieved head coaching positions themselves. The only one I can come up with is Arians and he only won because of what they say about BB, it was all Brady.
Tomlin has his flaws, but he’s a really good coach. The team’s problem is they went down with the ship of Roethlisberger’s career and the most serious investment they’ve made in a quarterback since then was a mediocre prospect they overdrafted because it was a good story that he was already in the building.
Yep. Imagine if they were in year four still lying to themselves about Pickett instead of realizing the mistake and moving on, and that’s on Colbert since he drafted him.
And how on earth are you meant to draft another franchise qb if you go 9-8 every season? Pittsburgh should have the balls to suck for a couple of years so they get a foundational draft pick.
That always sounds great in theory, but look how many teams draft high most years without ever having that draft pick magically turn things around. Or draft high without that pick actually being there, like the Giants.
Titans come to mind.
Or maybe you can, gasp, do your job and get the most out of the roster you’re presented with each year and figure that out when you get to it, which is what he’s doing every year. Both Trevor Lawrence and Caleb Williams were supposed to be superstars for the teams who tanked for them. They both have sucked actually playing NFL QB so far.
The last team they beat in the playoffs drafted Mahomes. Franchise QBs can be had with mediocre records; whether it’s trading into the top 11 like KC did, or finding/developing guys like Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts or Russell Wilson in the late 1st round and beyond.
Peyton Manning is the only #1 overall to win a Super Bowl with the team that drafted him since Troy Aikman. More guys have won it replacing a franchise’s #1 pick (including Brady twice)
And how else are you gonna trade for a QB? Its not with pick 26
KC traded pick #27, a 3rd, and the next year’s 1st for 10th overall to get Mahomes.
I don’t recall anyone saying Pete Carroll was on the hot seat in Seattle either.
Pete Carroll didn’t want to give up control over the 53 man roster. He’s said that. The owner said that. He was also 72 when he lost his job, and ironically their team ended up in the exact same place last year at 9-8 as his last year there in a much worse division than what it was in 2023.
I think Tomlin’s weakness is that he isn’t a great innovator. Of course when the Steelers were always in championship discussions he didn’t need to be an innovator because the roster always had an abundance of talent to carry the day. The Steelers aren’t deep in talent like they used to be so now Mike’s weakness is being exposed.
On the flip side, Tomlin’s strength is that he is very good at managing player egos. Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, L’Veon Bell and James Harrison all had to tow the line and get with Mike’s program or go elsewhere. In this era, the importance of being able to manage players with inflated opinions of themselves can’t be overstated.
Solid post.
So, what if he’s never had a losing season in the hardest league in the world for two decades no matter how bad his roster or QB are…
The Lombardi Trophy is the birthright of every single yinzer every single year because they are the City of Champions (says so right on the torn and faded shirt) and somehow this bum manages to ruin that for them.
It doesn’t matter if other teams are better, he should beat them anyway because they want it.
Frickin’ jerk.
Tomlin is a smaller version of Marvin Lewis. The kings of mediocrity. You can count on playing.500 football, but not much else.
No, he’s the modern day version of Bill Cowher and Chuck Noll. He and Cowher had the exact same record at the exact same time of their career. I think the Rooneys are fine with that while your favorite franchise cycles coaches and suck.
Who said Cowher was a good coach? The most memorable thing about him was that soup strainer mustache. As long as Tomlin is the head coach in Pittsburgh the Steelers will be mediocre at best.
Canton said Cowher was a good coach.
Going to AFC championship games and two Super Bowls is definitely what mediocre coaches do, lmao. You’re just proving the allegations that Steeler fans are crazy as squirrel s***.
Never said the team was bad. I said the head coach was mediocre. If he was so great why didn’t anyone hire him when he was shown the door? Steelers fan? Me?
Jets and Browns tried to, and then he changed his mind. He probably thought about how crazy you fans are and thought better of it. Furthermore, what does another job even have to do with the job he did for the Steelers? The fact is that he made a bunch of AFC championship games, went to two Super Bowls, and won one with them. Mind you, all of this was in the thick of Elway and Marino’s careers and the beginning of Brady and Manning’s careers. You think that’s a mediocre job, lol. I’d love to see who you think is good then. No doubt you think John and Jim Harbaugh and Kyle Shanahan are some real losers.
Blah,blah,blah,blah and blah. Do you talk just to hear yourself or do you really believe what you are saying? Cowher as a great coach? He’s not even a pimple on Chuck Nolls behind. Blah, blah, blah Elway, Marino, blah, blah, blah. Great coaches are names like Tom Landry, Bill Walsh, and Don Shula.
How many coaches have missed the playoffs 9 straight years and remain employed?
How is this guy still employed?
Some kind of privilege maybe?
Missed the playoffs 9 straight years?
When did he miss the playoffs nine straight years?
Winless in playoffs. Which is pretty much a distinction without a difference in this instance.
On the contrary, it’s a distinct distinction. Tomlin would not be employed by the Steelers had he had a 9 year playoff drought. A better reply would have been “oops I meant winless in playoffs”.
You know no one can admit when they’re wrong these days, lmao. Old boy said missing the playoffs and not winning a playoff game with inferior teams you somehow get to the playoffs is the same, lol.
Yeah, same as going 4-12 and not making the playoffs. So Vikings should be looking for KOC’s replacement if he can’t win a playoff game this year? You been drinking early in the day?
Ray Flaherty lost a championship game 73-0. He not only remained employed with Washington (winning a championship title 2 years later) but was eventually inducted into the HOF.
OK, Yinzers…
Mike Tomlin resigns today and they have the current roster…now what?
Explain in detail the path that will make them champions.
And no…this doesn’t count….
1) Fire Tomlin.
2) ?????
3) Profit.
Pittsburgh has had only 3 head coaches in the NFL’s modern era which began in 1970. Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season as a head coach.
The haters would prefer the Cheatriots’ field boss who fled the NFL for college football after falling all the way to 4-13.
Tomlin may not be on the hot seat, but he is sitting on a Whoopee Cushion.
If you read this article carefully, you’ll realize 10-7 seasons like Tomlin has incredibly managed are not impediments to finding a franchise QB. Look what happened to the last team the Steelers beat in the playoffs: THEY DRAFTED PATRICK MAHOMES!
Jalen Hurts was drafted after a 9-7 Eagles season.
You don’t need to tank to get a great QB, and tanking makes developing your rookie QB far more difficult.
Stick it out with Tomlin.
This is the bigger problem. They haven’t really taken a swing. As you point out, Hurts, Mahomes, Watson, Josh Allen were all traded up for. Lamar Jackson was the last pick of the first round. They just have to identify a guy with better traits than Kenny Picket and pull the trigger to develop. I think this was the thinking with Fields, but Tomlin clearly didn’t think it was going to work after getting a look at him in practice every day, and the front office was only willing to keep him on the cheap to keep working with him.
I came here to say the same. Firing Tomlin satisfies an emotional desire, but where does that leave Pittsburgh?
Tanking does net teams good picks, but it also digs a culture hole that they then need to climb out of. The Steelers could start over, but there’s no guarantee that they do get someone with Tomlin’s current capabilities. What they could do, instead, is let Tomlin continue to coach the roster, and do their homework on who they think is a home run shot at QB and break through all barriers to get him. Adding a franchise starter to Tomlin getting a few extra wins out of a roster is probably what the Steelers need right now to get over the hump. Tomlin can get them into the playoffs; a high end or clutch QB can probably get them playoff wins.
This seems to be their current strategy right now-much has been made of the Rodgers courtship, but all of this just seems temporary for the next year, or maximum possibly two. Rodgers might still have some playoff savvy in him if he actually shows up and Pittsburgh does get to the playoffs, but if not (as most people here expect), he’ll keep the seat warm for a year in preparation for a rookie. If Rodgers doesn’t show up, it makes the process even simpler. It feels like Pittsburgh will go all out if they think that their guy is in this next draft, so to me, I think that’s when the real time to watch would be.