Mike Tomlin has now guided the Steelers to five playoff berths in the 2020s. Tyler Loop‘s missed field goal secured an eighth Pittsburgh AFC North title during the Tomlin era. His team is a home underdog to the Texans in the wild-card round, however.
The Steelers have not won a playoff game since their 2016 divisional-round victory over the Alex Smith-led Chiefs, going 0-6 since. They will now take on a Houston team carrying the No. 1-ranked defense. This creates another challenge for Tomlin, who has lost two playoff home games (to the Jaguars and Browns) since his most recent postseason win.
Rumblings about the Steelers and Ravens moving on from iconic coaches emerged before the teams’ Week 18 division-deciding tilt, and Baltimore has since moved on from John Harbaugh. A report indicating Tomlin might step away on his own accord after the season also surfaced just before Pittsburgh’s regular-season finale, and more has come out on the topic.
If Tomlin is to leave the Steelers on his own terms, a source informed ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler a TV role would likely carry more interest than entering the coaching market immediately. This aligns with what we heard over the weekend. As it stands, Tomlin has “open invitations” for a network gig if he steps way from the Steelers.
Sean Payton and Bruce Arians took this path in the fairly recent past; both TV sabbaticals lasted one season. Conversely, Bill Cowher and Jimmy Johnson stayed in TV. Jon Gruden took nine seasons off in between coaching stints. Cowher left the Steelers after 15 seasons, doing so a year after winning Super Bowl XL. Sean McVay resisted TV rumors after a disappointing 2022 season. Rumors about Cowher coming back to coaching faded long ago. It will be interesting if Tomlin would take the Cowher path or the Payton-Arians route should he venture into the TV world.
At 53, Tomlin does appear at a career crossroads. The former Super Bowl-winning HC has appeared in a second Super Bowl and another AFC championship game (in 2016), but success has been fleeting since. That said, the Pittsburgh staple extended his streak of non-losing seasons to an unfathomable 19 this year by reaching 10-7. Tomlin doing this without quarterback stability since Ben Roethlisberger‘s 2019 elbow injury has added a degree of difficulty to the high-floor routine, though the trend of the Steelers securing playoff berths only to lose their first game has soured a sizable sect of the fanbase on the longtime HC.
Aaron Rodgers also has unsurprisingly waffled on retirement plans; it would certainly be worth wondering if Rodgers’ return would be contingent on Tomlin staying. Tomlin played a big role in convincing Rodgers to sign with the Steelers. Although Tomlin’s latest extension runs through 2026, the Steelers have a team option on him for 2027. It must be exercised by March 1. Tomlin confirmed shortly after the Steelers’ wild-card loss to the Ravens last year he would return. Clarity here will likely come not too long after this Pittsburgh season ends.
mike tomlin has been steelers HC for 19 years and has never had a single losing season
Tell me more.
It’s impressive isn’t it. Yet there are fans that want him fired!! SMH
If he does go, some network should be chomping at the bit to put him and Harbaugh on a NBA Tonight style panel with two noncombatants in between to spur discussion.
The future is AI generated broadcasters and the sad reality is that they would probably be more knowledgeable and entertaining than most of former players and coaches now employed by the networks.
Who exactly would want the most boring guy in football to be a TV Commentator? We already have Troy Aikman and Joe Buck for that.
He would be the NFL equivalent of Shaq. BTW, that’s not a compliment.
What’s his trade value, a 1st?
He’s not going anywhere unless he wants to. Full stop.
Johnson did TV between the Cowboys and Dolphins.
he’d be perfect hosting Soul Train, if it was still on, with all his dancing and stuff.
I think Tomlin is a good man. And I think he conducts himself pretty well with the press and public. His comments on the Rich Eisen Show today about Harbaugh, the rivalry and his own situation weren’t just blather
Like any Steelers fan, I’m caught up in the high of the Steelers win a few days ago. But I tend to think Tomlin would be better served with a fresh start somewhere, as would the franchise.
I don’t see that happening anytime soon
CBS already has Cowher.
ESPN has Rex
I guess Prime would add a coach.
Fox maybe but they are still looked at as NFC tied. Rather have Tomlin talk about teams he has competed against more frequently.
Statistically the greatest coach in Steelers history
How? Based on winning percentage and not Super Bowl wins?
Statistically, ok
But I’ll take Noll
Wild ‘n out hiring?