Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season, but in the last 10 years, the Pittsburgh Steelers also haven’t won a playoff game. They’ve managed to make it for five of the last six years, but they’ve been one-and-done every time.
With the Baltimore Ravens moving on from John Harbaugh for his similar regular season success without as much playoff winning, it begs the question. What do the Steelers do about Tomlin? Some fans want him fired, and others believe he’s a great coach. What should they do?
Well, as it turns out, Tomlin is answering that question himself. He’s stepping down after the latest playoff exit.
Mike Tomlin makes stunning choice
Mike Tomlin probably has heard the calls for his job. Regular-season success means very little, especially with such a storied franchise as the Pittsburgh Steelers. So after yet another failure, what does the future hold? For now, it’s unclear, but he’s not returning.
“When you don’t get it done, words are cheap,” Tomlin said via ESPN. “It’s about what you do or you don’t do. And so, I appreciate the question, but people talk too much in our business. You either do or you don’t.”
Tomlin is now the first head coach in franchise history to go nine consecutive seasons between playoff wins, and he’s not going to reverse that streak. He will live in infamy now. He had two years remaining on his contract, and it’s important to note that he’s not being fired. This is his choice.
Prior to Tomlin’s shocking exit, Aaron Rodgers expressed support. “Mike T. has had more success than damn near anybody in the league for the last 19, 20 years. And more than that, though, when you have the right guy and the culture is right, you don’t think about making a change, but there’s a lot of pressure that comes from the outside and obviously that sways decisions from time to time. But it’s not how I would do things and not how the league used to be.”
“I don’t really care about that noise because they don’t know what Mike T. puts into this,” an emotional Cameron Heyward said. “They don’t know how he goes out of his way to prepare every man. They don’t know about the countless nights that man is in there studying film. Coaching is only going to do so much, players have to play better. And in those critical moments, players are going to step up.”
Still, Tomlin might believe he’s no longer capable of getting it done in Pittsburgh, and with his coaching skill elevating them beyond their normal means, he opted to walk away.
What’s next for Mike Tomlin?
Because Mike Tomlin is stepping down with years remaining, he cannot just go to another team. Essentially, he is retiring, unless he comes to some sort of agreement with the Steelers, which means they will retain his rights through the 2027 season.
It is very similar to what happened with Sean Payton. He retired with years left on his contract with the New Orleans Saints. So when he wanted to return, he would’ve had to have joined the Saints again. However, the Denver Broncos wanted him.
They had to trade a first-round pick to get Payton from the Saints because of his coaching rights. If anyone wants to do the same with Tomlin prior to the 2027 season, they will have to also trade something to get his rights.
Plenty of teams would love to get Tomlin on their sidelines, but it makes things very difficult. There are now 10 teams that need a head coach, and all of them would probably want to interview him. However, they’d have to trade something, likely something immensely valuable, to get him.
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