Mike Tomlin‘s 19-year Steelers coaching run will come to an end following the team’s wild-card loss to the Texans. The Pittsburgh icon informed his team he is stepping down, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler report.
This marks a sea-change offseason in the AFC North. Tomlin and John Harbaugh entered 2026 as the NFL’s longest-tenured HCs. Now, both are out of jobs. Three of the division’s teams, also including the Browns, are looking for leaders. Nine head coaching positions are now available around the league. Harbaugh is the biggest fish available; it is not fully known if Tomlin wants to enter the pool. This was not a firing, Schefter added during a SportsCenter appearance, noting this had been on Tomlin’s mind since before the season.
A report last week indicated Tomlin had an open invitation for a TV gig should he step aside in Pittsburgh, and veteran insider Jordan Schultz notes that is the expected path the Pennsylvania staple will take. Like Bill Cowher in 2007, Tomlin will be expected to enter the media realm.
Cowher ultimately never returned to coaching, but Schultz points to Tomlin eventually being part of the 2027 HC carousel. This would move him down a Sean Payton– or Bruce Arians-like path. If Tomlin pursues TV, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reports CBS, FOX, ESPN and NBC will have interest.
“During our meeting today, coach Tomlin informed me that he has decided to step down as our head coach,” Steelers owner Art Rooney II said in a statement. “Obviously, I am extremely grateful to Mike for all the hard work, dedication and success we have shared over the last 19 years. It is hard for me to put into words the level of respect and appreciation I have for coach Tomlin.
“His track record of never having a losing season in 19 years will likely never be duplicated. My family and I, and everyone connected to Steelers management, are forever grateful for the passion and dedication Mike Tomlin has devoted to Steelers football.”
Tomlin, 53, will walk away after six straight playoff one-and-dones. The Steelers ran into a defensive buzzsaw in the No. 5-seeded Texans on Monday night, losing 30-6. While playoff shortcomings defined the second half of Tomlin’s Steelers tenure, he is a Super Bowl-winning HC who made it back to the NFL’s biggest stage two years later.
Nearly 15 years after Tomlin’s Steelers lost Super Bowl XLV to the Aaron Rodgers-led Packers, the two teamed up when the future Hall of Fame quarterback signed with Pittsburgh. Rodgers’ career may well end with the loss to Houston as well, though the QB icon has said he is open to returning. With Tomlin playing such a key role in Rodgers’ joining the Steelers, will he still entertain a return for the 2026 season?
Two years remained on Tomlin’s contract, with the Steelers having until March 1 to exercise a 2027 option on the deal. Had the Steelers done so, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac notes approximately $50MM remained on the deal. A source informed Fowler that Tomlin did not see much left to chase in his current role. The accomplished HC will be a surefire Hall of Fame candidate, having gone 193-114-2 with the Steelers in a tenure that included 13 playoff berths and three AFC championship game appearances. The Steelers won eight playoff games under Tomlin, though the January success stopping by the 2017 season caused considerable unrest among Pittsburgh fans.
Tomlin quickly confirmed after a wild-card loss to the Ravens last season he would return, but The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson indicates a belief existed Tomlin felt underappreciated among contingents around Pittsburgh. Plenty had called for change, but it is notable it may have contributed to Tomlin dissatisfaction.
Frustration about the Steelers’ high-floor, low-ceiling status had festered for years, and chants calling for Tomlin’s firing rang out during a one-sided loss to the Bills in late November. As Tomlin-led teams have done repeatedly, however, the Steelers rallied down the stretch to avoid a losing season and book yet another playoff berth. Still, a report indicated just before Week 18 that Tomlin could still leave after Year 19. The Texans’ defense smothered Rodgers and Co. Monday night, turning the team’s first AFC North title in five years into another one-and-done — this one via blowout despite C.J. Stroud struggling for most of the game.
While the Raiders are looking for their fifth full-time head coach this decade, the Steelers’ Tomlin successor will only be the franchise’s fourth since 1969. Chuck Noll lasted 23 years in the Steel City, winning four Super Bowls and establishing the franchise as one of the NFL’s elite. Cowher succeeded Noll in 1992, winning immediately and guiding the team to two Super Bowls 10 years apart. Cowher won Super Bowl XL and stepped away a year later. The Steelers hired Tomlin at age 34, tabbing him despite only one season of coordinator experience (with the 2006 Vikings) on his resume.
Tomlin had coached the Buccaneers’ DBs for five seasons before that, working under Tony Dungy and Jon Gruden. This included a Super Bowl win as an assistant. The hire turned out to be a defining decision for the Steelers, who gave Tomlin seven extensions during his near-two-decade tenure.
Coaching a historically good Steelers defense in 2008, Tomlin saw a Ben Roethlisberger game-winning drive culminate with a Santonio Holmes toe-tapping touchdown to defeat the Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. The Steelers lost 31-25 to the Packers two years later. The “Killer B’s” version of the Steelers advanced to the 2016 AFC title game, dropping a runaway loss to the Patriots. Pittsburgh’s divisional-round win in Kansas City that season is Tomlin’s most recent playoff win.
Tomlin’s tenure included wild-card losses to the likes of Tim Tebow and a Browns team competing without Kevin Stefanski, who was sidelined with COVID-19. Pittsburgh also dropped a divisional-round game at home to the Jaguars, allowing 45 points to a Blake Bortles-quarterbacked squad. The Steelers then lost their postseason openers to close the 2021, ’23 and ’24 seasons to form a trend that came to define them as of late. The most recent Tomlin extension came in 2024, and two more playoff appearances followed. But Pittsburgh has been unable to find a long-term quarterback option since Roethlisberger’s retirement, keeping the franchise in its current place.
The Steelers missed on Kenny Pickett in the 2022 first round, selecting the passer at No. 20 without trading up. That QB class, save for Brock Purdy‘s stunning San Francisco success, has underwhelmed. The Steelers benched Pickett late in the 2023 season and traded him to the Eagles shortly after signing Russell Wilson in March 2024. Pittsburgh pursued Matthew Stafford and a Justin Fields re-signing last year, with Rodgers being the team’s third choice.
The Steelers were not Rodgers’ first choice, either, with the 20-year veteran preferring Minnesota. But the sides made it work. Pittsburgh’s 10-7 record will once again leave a path to a QB draft pick sketchy, with the team set to hold the No. 21 overall pick in the upcoming draft. Rodgers coming back in a bridge scenario has surfaced as an option, but the Steelers’ next HC will need to solve this problem — especially as Tomlin defensive staples Cameron Heyward and T.J. Watt are either in the twilight of their careers (Heyward) or moving toward it.
Pittsburgh also added veteran pieces to its roster in hopes of an elusive playoff victory, trading for Jalen Ramsey, Jonnu Smith and D.K. Metcalf. These moves came a year after they signed Patrick Queen in free agency. It will be interesting to see how Pittsburgh proceeds with some of its veterans, as it is not out of the question the team will enter a new phase post-Tomlin.
This will represent a pivotal offseason for Omar Khan, who will make his first coaching hire as GM. Khan arrived in Pittsburgh before Tomlin and will now be tasked with helping Rooney find his successor. That to-be-determined coach will have big shoes to fill.
It will be interesting to see where Tomlin lands and if he will eventually coach again or take the Cowher path by settling into the TV industry. The Steelers retain Tomlin’s rights, like the Saints did with Payton. If/when Tomlin returns to the sideline elsewhere, Pittsburgh can recoup draft compensation in a trade scenario.
Never had a losing season
And…
Like it’s easy, especially when you don’t have a QB and are playing the division with two All Pro QBs for seven years.
Since the record dictates where a team drafts new talent so 19 years of winning puts you 20 or greater for each of those and Mel Kiper can’t offer his opinion that the team doesn’t understand how to draft players
And…..to never have a losing season for 19 years
Drafting mid to late rounds
Running out Kenny Pickett Duck Hodges Mason Rudolph Mitch Trubinsky Justin Fields shells of Wilson and Rodgers is damn near impressive
Houston Roughneck Gambler Oiler Texans, Do you know what the word impressive means? There is nothing impressive about being mediocre for 19 seasons…
Tomlin is a great coach but his effectiveness wore off in Pittsburgh a long time ago.
One time, Cleveland- It seems this message board might ask you the same thing. You appear to be the odd-one-out with regards to your measurement of “impressive.”
myaccount2, Oh, I wasn’t making bets
No need to make bets. The point is you asked “do you know what impressive is?” to someone who had a strong majority agree with them, so I think you should direct the question back to yourself.
Not how that works but alright
Why because you say so? Lol. Didn’t realize you had authority.
QB is single handedly the most important position of any of the 5 major sports
You can ask Jets Browns Raiders Saints how it feels to constantly miss on QBs
Titans tried Mason Rudolph
Bears tried Mitch Trubinsky
Bears tried Justin Fields
Browns Raiders tried Kenny Pickett
Giants tried Wilson’s corpse
Jets tried Rodgers corpse
Wanna guess the results? Losing seasons lmao
To not have a single losing season running those guys out there is impressive
The only thing equally as impressive is how cheap the Cleveland Indians are all these years. There’s a reason the franchise was chosen for the Major League movies
And I heard Eagles fans were the biggest imbeciles… you prove that wrong
You must be blind and deaf and dumb. Explains username
Cajun being French and dago being italian
“Eh somewhere in Europe those pasta eating people”
Lmao
Excellent point that all those other QBs bombed elsewhere, the two HOF guys out of their primes and the other stiffs, and yet Tomlin still won with them. What he’s done these last two years with two legit MVP candidates in his division is one of the most impressive coachign jobs we’ve ever seen.
you know what’s really impressive, having the highest paid defense in the bottom of the league, that’s tough to do.
He didn’t pay them either. That’s how the Rooneys think a team should be constructed. Like I said, you’ll learn some hard truths the next few years. Noll didn’t get a QB after Bradshaw and had similar rosters at the end, and you saw how that went.
@Houston blah blah, You’ve obviously never played or coached at a high level in any sport. What a horrible take. Apparently you are not from Galveston Co
Name 1 position that’s more important than QB in NFL NHL NBA MLB MLS I’ll wait
Right tackle. A “true” point guard or a “dominant” center. True ACES & “throwback” starting pitchers, you know, the ones who CONSISTENTLY pitch at least 6 innings per start.
Left tackle is more important than right tackle and you can get away with playing backups at both tackle spots a lot of times if you scheme support from TEs chipping or running an additional lineman
You can’t scheme for bad QB play
Warriors won many championships without a true PG and without a true dominant center. Thunder also won it all without a true pg and true dominant center
The most dominant center in the nba has 1 ring. Whether that’s Giannis or Jokic
The best QB in the league has 3. Brady walked away with 7.
I’m not sure about your overall point. Yes, QB is important. You listed a number of QBs above. Why aren’t you discussing the failure of the Steelers and Tomlin to develop a QB since Roethlisberger began showing his age? That’s a huge part of the job. Draft and develop.
How many years did Tomlin have?
How many misfires at the position?
Why the idea of bringing in retreads instead of drafting?
(They traded up in the past 10 years to get a linebacker and offensive lineman. They couldn’t do this for a QB?)
Look, Tomlin was making $20M a year.
I’m tired of the Kim Martin types on ESPN giving us the “he didn’t get enough credit “ BS
I liked Tomlin. Good man. But he was made quite well and clearly, it was time to go.
I think he’s a good coach but his hard headed, close minded, me only approach to management was ridiculous. He adopted Cowher’s players but couldn’t replicate that talent with his own draft and development.
Happy trails Mike.
A goalie is a million times more important than a QB. Not stopping one shot on goal over the course of a 90 minute game decides the game. A QB can make a lot of mistakes throughout the game and the team still wins in spite of their performance.
As an idiot fan, you probably wanted him gone..
Failure.
Only to fanboys that worship the Foxboro Cheatriots.
But only had 5 consecutive winning seasons. The narrative changes when you remove those 8 and 8 seasons.
No it doesnt. Look up the definition of “narrative” my friend. The fact he never had a losing season is a “fact” and not a “narrative”. Its a hard thing to do, stop worrying about narratives that are fed to you and use your eyes.
never had won a ring. so all his seasons were failures
nitemare: Mike Tomlin & the Steelers WON Super Bowl XLIII (the 2008-09 season) against the Arizona Cardinals led by Kurt Warner & Larry Fitzgerald.
Resigned they say… Similar to my last job when my boss told me to submit my letter of resignation. He should take a year off… Or take over Baltimore. I love that fit on so many levels!!
If he resigned then I’m not sure he can just sign somewhere. They would have to trade for him, no?
🤯 woah
The Standard is no longer The Standard.
(Wow, didn’t think it would actually happen, not this year at least, thought it would be after next season)
Tomlin haters are gonna find out how good they had it soon enough lol
Tomlin is a good coach but he needs to step away from the game for a year or two and adjust his philosophy. This is a good move for both sides
I agree completely. I think Tomlin is an outstanding coach. But he needs to realize that the game has evolved and he can’t control the offense and defense. He ISN’T the smartest guy in the league and I think he thinks that. He wants to have total control and you just can’t have that. There are OC’s and DC’s that will run circles (because they are GREAT) around a guy that is GOOD at both (Tomlin). Maybe they that’s on ownership. I really have no idea how the pay scale went down. All I know, is that as a fan, I’m nothing more than that, and that when Tomlin went against great TEAMS!!!, he got embarrassed. It was a great time for everyone to part ways.
One NFL WR, Undrafted running backs and the last year of a 40 year old QB is what he has to work with and people expect a superbowl or he’s a failure? Moronic.
It wasn’t his decision to never tank.
I doubt he ever said 1 WR is enough either.
@emac…what about having one HOF QB and a RB and WR who were both on a HOF trajectory, yet winning nothing. I never took away from the fact that he was a great coach. I never have. But he needs to swallow his pride. Something all of us need to do at some point in our life. The difference is that we don’t have to do it on a national stage like Tomlin. I hate seeing him resign. I truly do. I don’t hate seeing his ego run the team.
RB on a house trajectory?
Hopefully the next coach is humble enough for you. I can guarantee he won’t be a coach that players want to play for as much as Tomlin.
I agreed with you. He had a HOF QB, a WR and a RB on a HOF trajectory playing on the same offense. Le’Veon Bell wasnt on a “house trajectory”. He was a bell cow. Why didn’t he win? How could he not get to at least a single ARC Championship with them? I don’t know what more proof that you need to agree with me. I said Tomlin was a great coach. He just seemed to want total control. As a die hard Steeler fan for 43 years, it’s all I’ve seen.
Antonio Brown went crazy and Leveon Bell sat out
Tomlin didn’t handle contract negotiations
In fact, the world at large didn’t know Brown was crazy until he left there. He was managing an insane asylum with those band of misfits there. James Harrison too. Lot of crazy people in those locker rooms he kept at bay.
Last I checked he won a super bowl with those hof players you mentioned. Dont let facts get in the way.
You didn’t check very well. He didn’t win a Super Bowl with those players. Ben, yes…with Bill Cowhers players and coaching staff. Bell, Brown, and Ben during the heart and end of his prime…no.
Now they arent his players lol. He won a Superbowl as a head coach in the National Football League. I do not care whose players it was with. The Steeler fans will now get to see how much this man overcame the deficiencies of the organization. Youll see.
He didnt even have the great players i thought he did. You made my point even better for me. Thank you.
Some Steelers fans need to get a grip on reality and wake the F up
@Tangerinepony…the reality is that the Steelers will never be more than the 6th best team in the AFC and 10th-12th beat team in the NFL as long as Tomlin is the head coach. Maybe getting to the playoffs is enough for some franchises and their fans.
But not using Pat Muth is on him. The guy has the best hands and catch radius on the team.
I don’t think he coaches again. He didn’t need to step away. The Steelers just don’t have a QB or many good offensive players for that matter. Their offensive line was terrible for a few years for instance.
@realfootballfan…I think he coaches again. And I think he could win a Super Bowl again, but he’s going to have to realize that he needs other people. The Steelers gave him total control of the team. He was so egotistical that he thought he could out coach everybody. And that includes HC’s OC’s, and DC’s. He finally learned his lesson. As a die hard Pittsburgh fan (all sports ), I truly want Tomlin to go somewhere and win multiple Super Bowls. I think that highly of him. I would love for him to go down as one of the greatest head coaches of all time. All that said, he was spoiled by Ben. He was spoiled by an elite defense, an elite QB (mentioned above) and an elite OC and DC. He was given the keys to a Lamborghini by Cowher. He came into Pittsburgh young, and arrogant. He never let that arrogance go. He never let his common sense take over. And as other Steeler fans have said (mainly 66), ownership may have tied his hands behind his back based on salary, but he never hired coordinators to take control. I love Tomlin, I truly do and I hate to see him leave. But he needed to realize where his strengths were and they were running a team. The PLAYERS themselves. Getting the most out of HIS players. An offense and a defense should be run by guys who specialize on those. He should’ve fought for ownership to pay more for guys like Saleh and McDaniel (Ben Johnson). Guys that can truly run a unit without a HC’s input. They would’ve won multiple Super Bowls since the last with the talent they have had.
That isn’t true at all.
Ben was and is a prick and was not popular w his teammates. He had the rape case. Look what happened to Bell and Brown when they left Pittsburgh. Put some respek on Tomlin’s name, he was a true leader who got maximum value out of his team.
Ownership doesn’t believe in that. What part of they run the team like a small family business don’t you guys get? They want the team to operate a certain way where running the ball and defense are paramount, and they don’t see QB like the rest of the world sees it. People forgettting even before this stretch after Roethlisberger, they let their last Super Bowl QB walk in free agency and then put Kordell Stewart in as starter? Even the year they drafted Roethlisberger, there was serious debate that wasn’t the way they were going before that draft, but then he went 14-1 as a rookie starter. All of these things are documented facts. They control the roster, the assistants, etc. Even this past year, you really think he chose to roll with Rodgers and to ignore the QB position when a Jackson Dart was right there to take? Listen to Rooney when he came out last spring and was declaring Rodgers was coming. Before that, Justin Fields was the plan. I just don’t think the extent of their involvement is known enough, and Art II has not been as good at a lot of the team management as his father was. It’s not a matter of getting them to do this or that or spend more on assistants or embrace a different philosophy. It simply isn’t happening, and you have to work around those parameters.
What is good about 10 straight years of not winning a playoff game? Just curious.
What is good about 19 straight winning records and going to the playoffs more often than not? Gee idk bud lets think real hard about this maybe we can come up with something
Tom Coughlin’s Giants tenure > Tomlin’s tenure.
Coughlin = 2 Lombardi Trophies and a whole lot of derp.
Tomlin = 2 Lombardi Trophies and never a losing season.
One
They don’t put banners up for winning seasons kid.
He was a great coach for the first half of his career, but over the last 10 years he was trading on that past performance. Hell, you can make a case he has underperformed since the start of the 2011 season.
Since the 2011/12 season he has made the playoffs in 10 out of 15 seasons and produces 3 playoff wins in 15 years. That is abysmal.
Trying to tout winning records without meaningful post season success is the hallmark of mediocrity.
Mediocre teams simply miss the playoffs unless they somehow luck in and they definitely dont have 19 winning seasons in a row. Its nice to see you have your own definition of the word tho
Sure, he is great at making the playoffs. If only they awarded championships for just that.
15 years 3 playoff wins. That is abysmal. You keep circling back to the winning seasons argument but you don’t play to make it to January you play to win in February.
He has not won a playoff game in 9 years and has 3 playoff wins over the last 15. How his supporters keep trying to ignore 75% of his coaching career is wild.
How his haters try to ignore that with a mid roster he keeps taking them to the playoffs is wild. I keep “circling back” to evidence that suggests the opposite of your claim. You just dont like that so you try your best to dismiss it. As a Jets fan I could only wish for entertaining, meaningful football games in January yearly.
The roster wasnt constructed well and thats the reason why they keep seeing first round exits. If a coach is able to take Kenny Pickett to the playoffs, hes not a bad coach. Its that simple. Removing Tomlin is removing the thing thats getting them as much success as theyve had. They would have been worse without him.
Lets refocus.
My claim: He hasn’t had the post-season success necessary to continue to be employed. Specifically over the last 9 years, but also going back the last 15 shows a lack of continued success from regular season success.
Your turn.
My claim: If your able to take Kenny Pickett to the playoffs, youre not the problem.
Ok…then what’s the problem? He has damn near 100% authority over roster construction and coordinators hires. Is it the GM? They’ve changed their GM’s. And the same thing has happened since Khan took over. A first round playoff blowout. Tomlin is the problem. Not because he isn’t a good coach. But because he won’t adapt to the the times. Because he wants full authority over the team construction and how it’s run. Once he realizes he isn’t smarter than every single coach and GM in the NFL, he will go down as an unbelievably great head coach. Until the man swallows his pride, he will go down as great head coach who underachieved.
Roster construction is definitely the problem. How much say Tomlin does or doesnt have in that is not exactly something we can be privy to, so its hard to judge if hes the issue there. This whole assuming his character and his pride and what not is full gossip girl speculation and not tangible facts btw
So continuing my point. He is good enough to get there, but not good enough to win. Most coaches that don’t win playoff games don’t stay employed.
2016 was the last meaningful playoff run they had over the last 15 years.
Let’s look at 2017. Roethlisberger was a pro-bowler, Bell and Brown were both pro-bowlers and 1st team all-pros. Finished top 3 on offense in yards per game, and top 5 in defense in yards allowed per game.
First round exit to the Jaguars in a blowout where the Jags were up 42-28 and then the Steelers scored some garbage time points to save face.
2018 4 pro-bowlers on offense and they missed the playoffs.
2019 Ben Hurt but they went 8-8 and missed again.
2020 first round exit to the BROWNS. Woof.
2021 first round exit losing in a blowout against the Chiefs.
2022 Missed again.
2023 First round exit to the Bills in a blow out despite being the 6th best defense in point against.
2024 First round exit to the Ravens who they split the series with in the regular season, 14 to 28 getting doubled up despite having the 8th best defense for points against.
2025 First round exit in another blowout.
The pattern does not lie. He is stuck on a treadmill in Pittsburgh. A lot of motion with no progress forward.
He is was a great coach, and is still a good coach, but he has worn his welcome in Pittsburgh and wherever he goes next he will succeed. Could very possibly end up like Andy Reid if he gets lucky with a team drafting a generational QB. Just wasn’t going to happen again here in Pittsburgh.
Continuing my point, hes not the problem and hes the reason why they saw as much success as they did. Lesser coaches wouldve done terribly with the rosters Tomlin had. Removing a great head coach isnt a solution. If you think the guy that was able to take a Kenny Pickett led team to the playoffs is the one holding the team back you should reassess things.
Or maybe if you put the right players around him he can win a superbowl. There is precedence and facts to back that up considering he already did that. It takes an organization to win a championship and Tomlin more than pulled his weight.
You didn’t check very well. He didn’t win a Super Bowl with those players. Ben, yes…with Bill Cowhers players and coaching staff. Bell, Brown, and Ben in his prime…no.
@Begamin…we don’t have meaningful games in January. The vast majority of Steeler fans go into the playoffs KNOWING they are going to lose. Since Tim Tebow beat them, this has been the case. At that point, who cares. Most, and all Steeler fans I’ve talked to, pointed to a blowout in the Texans favor last night. And what happened? A Texans blowout. Who cares if you make the playoffs knowing you can’t win anything. It’s possible that you don’t pay attention to baseball. And that’s fine. I’m not discrediting that. At all. But most Steeler fans are Pirate fans. We know what it’s like to be the Jets. We know what it’s like to be a fan of team that is perennialy, a laughing stock. We have team that is supposed to be contenders. We haven’t have had in a decade. We haven’t had hopes of a Super Bowl in decades. The last several years, we have made the playoffs by the fact that the first two-three months have been on, but are in the midst of a late season collapse. Guess what…the Steelers played one more meaningless game this season (and most seasons in the last decade) than the Jets. And who cares? Honestly. Where has that gotten the Steelers? No where, but no shot at winning the Super Bowl and a mid 20’s draft pick.
You go into January with games that matter. Please miss me with this spoiled child stuff
the Patriots said “hold my beer and let me show you what 20 yrs of a winning record can get you”.
If you had a season pass and experienced a 1 win season you’d know.
I’m a Browns fan. Trust me, it can get worse.
What’s good about not going to to the playoffs 10 straight years? Ask the browns, jets and raiders
Roster is a mess of duck tape and glue, and he actually won the division this year and nearly did it last year. He’s mediocre according to them though, lmao.
realfootballfan, well he’s the one with the input on the rosters so yeah… He’s been mediocre for half his tenure there… This isn’t hard to comprehend… You’re literally pointing out the reason he had to go…
every HC has input on rosters, but the GM is the one thats ultimately responsible
Begamin, what was so good about finishing .500 every year and looking like ass and getting eliminated in the first round every year? What is so good about that? Rather be like the browns and KNOW my season is over by week 10. Yay pick 16-22 every year… Yay… I’ll take a few losing seasons to get some decent talent and draft pics… Dude hasn’t been effective in about 10 years in Pittsburgh… Was long overdue
lol you would not rather be a Browns fan, please stop. drafting high is fun for one day and then they still go 0-16
Wait till next year when they’re 5-12 lmao
I literally said I’ll take a few losing seasons for some better draft picks… So 5-12 oh no. Basic fundamentals isn’t a strong suit of yours
and we all know thats BS lmao youre gonna learn quickly that a high pick doesnt mean as much as you think it does. ive dealt with my team having high picks and cap room year after year just for the season to be over by november.
When it doesn’t go the way you think it is because the Rooneys don’t value QB, don’t say we didn’t warn you. Miami, Vegas, and other once great franchises await in football hell.
About time this organization wakes up to the abject failure of a HC tenure. Good enough to be mediocre but not great. Zero QB drafting or development. No O focus for a decade plus. Completely outdated way of coaching.
Let’s not forget Tomlins childish and deceitful behavior stepping onto the field and claiming he didn’t do it on purpose.
Pack sand, fraud.
Holy smokes are you really digging for stuff to complain about. I’m relieved he is gone but really need to come up with some fresh stuff, the stepping on the field is pretty lame. Focus on his playoff failures.
Also the QB drafting is not on Tomlin. Can’t really say no O focus for a decade when they had Ben, Bell and Brown here along with a stout oline.
Stick to his playoff failures.
It was time for him to go but no reason to bring up some silly stuff like this.
Absolutely should be brought up as it shows his lack of character.
Pathetic dude. Guys around the league have been caught cheating all the time in much worse stuff than this. Lack of character is just a lame accusation. Give it up
Are you the character police? That moment overshadows 19 years of winning football? Youll now get to see what a cheap mom and pop franchise looks like. Enjoy last place.
Yep. Steelers regularly get D’s and F’s on the player report card. Tomlin is the one thing in the organization that always got an A plus.
You’re about to find out what mediocre is. Check those player report cards. He was the only reason anyone was coming there in FA, and your roster isn’t that hot.
Abject failure? Get a grip man.
Failure.
You can’t imagine what it’s like to root for most of the teams in the NFL. 12 teams have never even won a Super Bowl in their whole history.
Oh, they are about to learn.
Maybe they’ll also learn what the word abject means.
I’ve quickly found that this guy is one of our very few posters who is just not worth responding to. I’ve not seen him make any cogent argument in the short time that he’s been here.
Tomlin is a good man and good coach. But it was time to move on and for all parties to get a fresh start
100%. Great take.
That relationship has become as stale as 3 week old bread.
I really expected him to return next year and get his 20 year run. Rather shocked.
Far too many openings and not enough quality candidates from what I can see.
That’s what all non Steeler fans say because they are just happy standing on mediocrity.
Blown out the last 5 playoff games
I thank Mike Tomlin for being the coach and all his success which in turn became our success but sometimes things run their course. The message gets stale.
History would agree. Francona, Belichick, Harbaugh, McCarthy (GB), Reid (PHI)…
Francona = Baseball.
Belichick = Cheatriots.
“Careful what you wish, you may regret it
Careful what you wish, you just might get it
Then it all crashes down and you break your crown
And you point your finger, but there’s no one around
Just want one thing, just to play the king
But the castle’s crumbled, and you’re left with just a name (and a logo)”
Metallica couldn’t have said it better….or maybe they did.
Finally! Coaching has never been and never will be anything more than play calling schematics and game management. Rah rah player coaches don’t work and any winning that ever occurs under their helm is simply because you have a good drafting front office and good coordinators who manage to cover up the blowhard buffoon who is leading the team. The best coaches are all scheme based coaches. Coaches like harbaugh and Tomlinson are just good motivational speakers who do well with the media. People like Andy Reid, Sean Mckvay Ben Johnson shanahan brian Flores belichick bring football acumen and knowledge and innovation to the team. The drooling that Tomlinson gets is frankly sickening his teams never are under 500 simply because the players are never bad enough to be below that mark. And they are never better than that because he has complete control of the staff and employs people like Arthur smith. I’m so happy this day has finally arrived.
Wow! What a misguided take!
Belichick = Loser in Cleveland. Loser in Foxboro pre-Brady. Loser in Foxboro post-Brady. Now a loser in college football.
New England’s fanbase crumbled once Brady left. Pittsburgh’s fanbase is as strong as ever.
Luckily for you we might soon have robots working as coaches. You must be very excited about the brave new world of AI.
I don’t need AI in order to tell the truth.
I wasn’t responding to you, Chucky, I was responding to el Chapo. This website sometimes makes it unclear what comment you’re responding to.
He is one of three coaches to ever go 10 years without winning a playoff game and still not be fired.
Marv Lewis and Jim Mora Sr. are the other 2.
He has been awful for the last 10 years trading on past performance.
He went 9 years
Fine, over the last 15 years he has 3 playoff wins. The company of Marv Lewis and Jim Mora Sr. still is not good company to be in at all.
His first 4 years and that lame streak of never having a losing season will get him into the HOF deservedly so.
But the last 15 years he has been sub par and has underperformed. He is good at being OK.
Out, out, damn ingratitude!!! I’ll bet you hear that a lot.
Wonder if this was a forced resignation? Save face and not be fired?!
How in the heck is Zac Taylor the only HC to keep his job in this division? Absolutely bonkers
Because Burrow likes him and what Joe wants……………
Bengal fans want Taylor and his GM both out.
Doesn’t matter what they want. Keep Joe happy until the extension is signed.
Because it’s the Bengals.
Who have been to 2 of the last 5 AFC Championship games and lost a Superbowl by a field goal.
3 coaches since 1969
8 SB appearances, 6 wins
Good luck to the next guy
Harbaugh to Pitt! Tomlin to Baltimore!
The Steelers still control his contract through 2027 so someone would likely have to give up some compensation
Dear God, no
Him and Jon Gruden making content at Barstool would be all gas, no brakes
Finna find out that the rosters offense is held together by shoe strings and bubble gum. Steelers have been overachieving for 6-7 years now
Yep. All I ever say to Steeler fans. I’m like what exactly do you think your team has on the roster? Never get a good answer.
The definition of insanity is to do the same thing over & over again expecting different results. This was Mike Tomlin.
That isn’t the definition, you should Google the word
That phrase isn’t a literal definition—it’s a rhetorical way of making a point. its actually an aphorism. like “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” is the road literally paved with intentions, no.
It’s going to be Robert Saleh. As a 49ers fan, I’m bummed. Saleh will be in Pittsburgh for 20 years
They’re not hiring a failed HC.
Saleh was thrown under the bus because the Jets panicked when they started the 2024 season 2-3.
Calling him failed is ridiculous.
Wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Minter here.
I think Baltimore hires Minter
I wouldn’t be surprised by that either.
Perhaps a good candidate for Cleveland or elsewhere where they really need a solid leader to build a foundation
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Three out of four AFC North coaching positions vacant while the remaining one should have lost his job years ago.
The one who most recently went to the SB in that division also.
Very good coach whose message had gotten stale in that locker room. Let him recharge his batteries and if he wishes to return to the sideline he will be high up on many teams wish list. He deserves a break.
The message hasn’t gotten stale. If not, the players wouldn’t still be running through brick walls for him. Their team just isn’t very good.
Unfortunately, you’re absolutely right. “The message gets old” thome doesn’t really apply since the turnover in the NFL is significant; that notion is put out by media members who want new coaches to quote. The Steelers have a decent defense, an underachieving offensive line, a thin receiving corps, and ongoing instability at quarterback. Solve these issues, and the Steelers will be back.
Called this one.
Such insight. It was a total shock to the rest of us!
I called it at the beginning of the year. So yeah, I don’t think many were saying that back last summer.
Seems a bit surreal that 3 NFL head coaches with a combined 578 wins would be unemployed within about a week. Andy Reid must be getting nervous…lol.
Looking at this from the coach’s point of view is moronic. Never had a losing season means nothing to the fans. The fans want playoff success and Super Bowl Titles. Almost 1/2 the teams make the playoffs each year. No big accomplishment.
Time to trade TJ and DK and release Cam Heyward.
Truly start over.
He will be a HC next year in the NFL.
Amazing to think that 2 outstanding coaches, Tomlin and Harbaugh, and one good one Stefanski are gone from the AFC North and the only one remaining is Zach Taylor of the Bengals. This indeed is the Twilight Zone.
As a bengals fan it makes me both gay and sad
This is supposed to be happy and sad. Idk how I typed gay, sorry I didn’t notice until the editing window left
Against all of my Steelers friends, I backed Tomlin every year….until I finally noticed that there actually WAS a pattern of acceptable mediocrity as this season started. I paid attention and again saw the pattern. Definitely a players coach to the extreme, and it caused tension in the locker room amongst some of the team who saw it firsthand. Never disliked the guy myself and even though they again squeezed into the playoffs, with a fortunate missed FG, I had a feeling that the team again wasn’t focused last night. He’ll be hired within a week, if not days. He and Steelers fans needed a change badly.
Btw, check the tone of these comments versus when Harbaugh got fired for underachieving with an All Pro QB. You’d be forgiven if you didn’t know who had what on their rosters. It’s always revealing though.
Dear lord just stop it already.
Harbaugh didn’t underachieve. His teams had injury issues at important positions, and he would’ve had to beat the Chiefs dynasty to reach the Superbowl.
The owner said that’s exactly why he fired him. So I guess he’s wrong about his own team.
Harbaugh was fired because Lamar wanted him gone. As a Bengals fan nothing makes me happier than seeing Harbaugh and Tomlin gone.
The owner also dispelled this, something anyone who has seen how Jackson is could tell you, but I guess the owner is lying about that too. He did this exact same thing in 2008 with Billick. Who got him fired? Kyle Boller?
Please. By all accounts, Tomlin had the biggest hand in assembling the roster. You’d make it sound like the olden days, when coaches just instructed whoever landed in training camp
In fact, my biggest gripe with Tomlin is exactly that. His success rate dipped sharply after the guys he inherited slowly faded off into retirement.
He was unable to bring in good players via draft, trades or signings. He was unable to draft and develop a QB. He was unwilling to bring in assistants who offered fresh viewpoints.
Never mind that he wasn’t able to inspire as he had been in the past. (Loved the comment someone had above about his players running through a brick wall. Didn’t see the Bills game, I guess, or the last 5 games last year when commentators were wondering if the team had quit) It was simply time to move on
Who lied to you? Even Roethlisberger said the only reason he was still there when he was past his prime the last few years is because Rooney said so. You’ll learn though that coaches don’t have that much power there. I’ll bet you believe he fired Bruce Arians and Tod Haley too.
You continue to exude the idea of a blathering know-nothing. I get that you’re a fanboy of Tomlin but all good things must come to an end. There will be other coaches you can cling to, Bobby
Fan boy, lol. Pointing out the truth to morons makes you a fan boy. You actually think coaches shape the roster in Pittsburgh, which is laughable.
Rodgers will try for Minn again
Good for him. Go out on your own terms.
Jets NEED him
Hopefully he takes this year off to relax and do some TV and then next season after Glenn gets fired, he wants the job
I’m sure he doesn’t want to Pete Carroll his career.
Suddenly the AFC North is WIDE open.
And Bengals will still fumble it.
Thank you so much Coach Tomlin. You didn’t your way, and your way was always pretty damn good and also entertaining. I will miss you, but I also think that this is the right move for you and for the team.
9-8 super bowl is kil
I hope it’s a domino effect and Rogers is out as well.
Bucs next year if Todd does not make conference championship games
Finally.. free atleast .the Bum Wins a superbowl with someone else’s team. He had to go , stale players did what ever they wanted, no accountability. Hopefully we hire a young offensive Coach with great ideas, who hires a bunch of great Coaches
Such insight. It was a total shock to the rest of us.
Thanks Mike. May your future be bright whatever you decide to do.
Never had a losing season, yet the Steelers nation wanted him fired years ago.. SMH. some fans need a reality check and get a grip on reality!!
Just saw Belichick go from genius to a fool without Brady, but Tomllin endured without his HOF QB, and these fans are like get him out of here. It’s pure idiocy. He’s doing the right thing though. He’s been behind the eightball without a top end of the league QB since Roethliberger lost his fast ball after the elbow injury. You always like to see great people go out on their own terms. Like what happened to Landry was a shame.
He’s still a legend. Just imagine if the year after Ben’s retirement he was able to get a Jayden Daniels or a Drake Maye.
Who had money on Zac Taylor being the last coach in the AFC North before the season?
The Steelers went from 10-7 and making the playoffs every year with Tomlin to now with a new head coach and more than likely a new QB and 4-13 !!!! Hey!!!! Steelers fans!!! Are you happy!!! MORONS
Get some of that Dolphin or Raider irrelevance, and they’ll realize how good they’ve had it. Art Rooney II isn’t his father, which has been some of the problem.
tangerinepony, I like how you ask a question but put exclamation points and then call others morons… Classic
sounds like burnout
Mike’s replacement had better be ready to commit. Three head coaches in 57 years. That’s wild.
They need to rebuild. Too many old guys on defense and you have no quarterback of the future.
There lies the problem. The organization doesn’t believe in that, and they don’t value QB. Just think about this time last year. Justin Fields seriously was the plan for the position before the Jets swooped in to bid against themselves and took him. As the HC, you have to roll with those kinds of decisions. Do you really think Tomlin wanted to go with a DL instead of trying his hand at a Jackson Dart or any of the other young QBs on draft night? All of this is what the Steelers are and how they believe a team should be constructed, yet their fans seem blind to these facts. A lot of them think some hotshot OC will come in and start throwing the ball all over the place, which btw is what got both Bruce Arians and Todd Haley fired. You’re about to learn some hard lessons soon though Steeler fans.
Despite:
never being sub .500
not having AB & Bell together for long
not having an top tier QB
leaving with an 10-7 record
doing so with the husk of Rodgers
… still he’s vilified.
Steelers fans deserve a promoting of Arthur Smith to HC … because that’s how Karma rolls son
Like I get the fact it’s time to try something new. But like since you aren’t going to lose how about trading to the top of the draft for a qb? How about bringing in a WR that isn’t trying to get weekly assault charges? I understand the standard isn’t winning seasons it’s superbowl. But dagum the Steelers fans have just forgotten what losing is all together. I’m excited for the to taste it again!
Wait did I read that right? 2/50M remaining? What dumbass walks away from 2/50M?
Idk if I could hire this man… he clearly can’t make a good decision at this stage of his career if he’s walking away from 2/50M and he isn’t getting more to do TV. 50M and they won a SB when?
Dudes already got millions. I’m not staying the HC for a bunch of people that don’t want me. The stadium last night made it clear to him he should cut out. This roster for the last 6-7 years should have only averaged 6-8 wins a season. And 5-7 of them come from the defense. Tomlin is probably the only head coach that gets 10 wins out of that offense.
Because he probably is going to get paid that on TV. He’s been rumored to have a deal lined up. Also, is that money worth torching your rep in the meantime trying to hold this subpar roster together? Look at what happened to Pete Carroll. He still has his defenders and it was the dysfunctional Raiders, but no one looks at him the same after how badly it went this year in Vegas.
If I was Tampa I would fire Bowles and back up the brinks truck for Tomlin.
The man can flat out coach. Players LOVE PLAYING FOR HIM.
Mayfield would be the best QB player he has had in a decade. Let’s face it Big Ben was horrible his last few seasons
The Rooney Rule should be renamed the Tomlin Rule (I say that positively). What an incredible 19-year run. I remember all those years ago when the frontrunners for the Steelers job were Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm. Tomlin came outta nowhere.
Also speaks well to their decision. Whisenhunt bombed twice despite making that fluke Super Bowl run in Arizona, and Grimm never became an HC. Never was even a good OL coach again after that.
Do we really believe he stepped down or was this allowing him to leave with pride?? Mistake either way
Amazing how quick “9-8 isn’t good enough” became “4-13 is OK”.
The new coach will be expected to win it all no matter how bad his roster is and whether or not he has a quarterback or not, right?
Because “we are THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS”, right?
The mushroom managed “we don’t accept mediocrity” crowd got their bluff called and now they are dry humping mediocrity with vigor.
How about that Tomlin coaching tree? 18 yrs of mediocrity.
This is the start of the rebuild Pittsburgh desperately needs. Good on Coach Tomlin to resign when he did, whatever his reasons were. He went out on his own terms.
Now, the team has to change. Their OL got destroyed by the Texans, nobody could get open on a regular basis, and even if Drake Maye was under center that offense wasn’t going anywhere. The quickly aging defense couldn’t stop the Texans offense consistently Monday night, even with the horrendous game CJ Stroud played.
It will be some ugly years in Pittsburgh, but it had to happen eventually. Coach Tomlin did a great job coaching the Steelers (though the word ‘great’ has a lot of definitions in this thread), and now its time for the rebuild to start.
Same fans that ran out James Franklin. Penn St bout to feel that. Never understanding what you have till it’s gone.
Good luck to him.