Two Pittsburgh Steelers legends have joined the chorus of voices calling for the franchise to move on from Mike Tomlin, with Ben Roethlisberger even suggesting that the longtime coach is a good fit for the vacant Penn State job.
Roethlisberger and former teammate James Harrison both weighed in on Tomlin’s future amid the growing speculation that the struggling Steelers will split with the NFL’s longest-tenured coach after this season.
“Maybe it’s a clean-house time. Maybe it’s time,” Roethlisberger said Tuesday on his “Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger” podcast. “I like Coach Tomlin. I have a lot of respect for Coach Tomlin, but maybe it’s best for him, too.
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“Maybe a fresh start for him is what’s best. Whether that’s in the pros, maybe go be Penn State’s head coach. You know what he would do in Penn State? He would probably go win national championships, because he’s a great recruiter.”
Penn State just concluded a disappointing 6-6 season and is still seeking a replacement for head coach James Franklin, who was fired in October. The Nittany Lions’ most recent target, Kalani Sitake, announced Tuesday that he will stay at BYU, prolonging Penn State’s coaching search.
The Steelers (6-6) also have struggled after winning four of their first five games this season, and frustration started to boil over during Sunday’s home loss to the Buffalo Bills, when fans booed and chanted “Fire Tomlin!”
Harrison, who played under Tomlin for parts of 10 seasons in Pittsburgh, said Monday that “something has to be done” and added that he doesn’t consider Tomlin a “great coach.”
“I have never been a person that thought Coach Tomlin was a great coach,” Harrison said on his “Deebo and Joe” podcast. “I thought he was a good [coach]. … A good coach gets you to play to your potential. And right now, the players we have on that team I have seen play, they’re not playing up to their potential. A great coach gets you to play to your potential.”
Harrison enjoyed his best NFL seasons under Tomlin, earning five consecutive Pro Bowl appearances from 2007 to 2011 and being named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2008. The two-time All-Pro linebacker noted that although the Steelers historically don’t change coaches, a change is needed in Pittsburgh.
“Something has to be done, and I know the Steelers historically don’t move on from coaches,” he said. “But I think it’s time that history be made.”
Roethlisberger stressed that the Steelers should not fire Tomlin, suggesting that the sides reach an “agreement” to end his time in Pittsburgh.
“Here’s what you don’t do: You don’t fire a guy like Coach Tomlin,” the former star quarterback said. “He’s a Hall of Fame head coach, he’s respected. What you do is you come to an understanding and agreement, and it’s like, ‘Hey, listen, I think it’s probably best for both of us.’
“You go, ‘Hey, Coach, listen, it’s probably best for all parties involved, let’s start over.’ It happened with Chuck Noll, it happened with Coach Cowher.”
Tomlin, 53, has 189 regular-season wins — the 11th most in NFL history — during his 19 years with Pittsburgh, and his .625 career winning percentage is the best in franchise history. But the Steelers have not won the AFC North since 2020 and have not won a playoff game since January 2017.
“Coach Tomlin’s been here a long time,” Roethlisberger said. “You’d give him a statue, whatever you’ve got to do, because he deserves it, he’s earned it. But it’s time to find that next guy. Who’s that next guy that could be here for the next 20 years?”
