Mike Tomlin has embodied the stability created by routine and transparency throughout his 19 seasons as the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach. It has endeared him to hundreds of players and kept him entrenched in an organization that mirrors the values of its coach.
That stability has come to an end as Tomlin is stepping down with two years left on his contract, sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Adam Schefter on Monday afternoon.
Tomlin, 53, informed players Tuesday of his decision to walk away at a 2 p.m. ET meeting, a day after falling to the Houston Texans 30-6 in the wild-card round of the AFC playoffs, extending the team’s playoff win drought to nine seasons.
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He leaves Pittsburgh with the unprecedented accomplishment of never having a losing season in nearly two decades at the helm of the franchise. He clinched his 200th career NFL victory in Week 16 against the Detroit Lions and tied Chuck Noll for ninth all time with 193 regular-season wins in a Week 18 victory against the Baltimore Ravens that clinched the AFC North title.
With Tomlin’s departure, the Steelers will begin the search for just their fourth head coach since 1969. Before his resignation, Tomlin was the longest-tenured head coach of any North American professional sports franchise, having taken the Steelers job in 2007. He finishes his career in Pittsburgh with 193 regular-season wins, 114 losses and two ties.
Steelers reporter Brooke Pryor and NFL reporters Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano answer the pressing questions in the wake of Tomlin’s departure.
How much of a shock is the news of Mike Tomlin’s departure?
Though there had been rumblings that Tomlin could walk away, potentially to pursue opportunities in television, his announcement and decision coming to fruition was still a surprise to many in the Steelers’ building. Tomlin’s Tuesday started as it often did during the regular season, with an early-morning arrival and a scheduled 2 p.m. team meeting. Players were in the locker room cleaning out their lockers following Monday’s wild-card loss. Before Tomlin’s meeting, there didn’t appear to be any indication that the players inside the locker room knew big news was coming. Less than 24 hours earlier, both Cameron Heyward and Aaron Rodgers had stumped for their head coach’s job.
And in the locker room Tuesday afternoon, tight end Jonnu Smith said he couldn’t imagine the Steelers without Tomlin.
“Ever since my childhood growing up, it was Mike Tomlin, Mike Tomlin, Mike Tomlin, Mike Tomlin, and winning,” he said. “And winning and winning. And the culture that the city has established football-wise based around what Mike Tomlin has done, the culture that he’s built, the way he’s constructed this team, the way he’s treated people in the building, the way he’s cared about this organization so much, and has embodied the true meaning of a Pittsburgh Steeler.” — Pryor
Who could the Steelers target at head coach, and how does Pittsburgh’s tendency to keep coaches for decades factor into this decision?
This is an all-hands-on-deck, drop-everything job for any and all candidates. The Steelers have had three head coaches since 1969, uncanny stability for the modern era. The championship tradition, coupled with the chance for real tenure, will make Pittsburgh’s the best job available. The Steelers will prioritize leadership, most likely, and as they did with Tomlin, they could identify a rising star in the business.
Several defensive coordinators — the Los Angeles Rams’ Chris Shula, the Green Bay Packers’ Jeff Hafley and the Los Angeles Chargers’ Jesse Minter — seem to fit that mold. Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman has rebuffed NFL intrigue but could revisit that for a job like this. The Steelers would be smart to modernize the offense, looking hard at that side of the ball, so several young offensive playcallers could come into play. — Fowler
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Alex Smith lauds ‘one of a kind’ Aaron Rodgers
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What does the future hold for Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers’ QB position?
Rodgers’ one-year deal expired with Monday’s wild-card loss, but he recently expressed that he hadn’t thought about what was next for him. After posting a playoff career-low of 14.3 QBR in Monday night’s loss to Houston, Rodgers said he wasn’t going to make an “emotional” decision about his future. In June, he told “The Pat McAfee Show” that he was “pretty sure” 2025 would be his last season.
If that is indeed the case, the Steelers would be in the market for their next starting quarterback. Mason Rudolph is under contract for another year, and the team also selected former Ohio State quarterback Will Howard in the sixth round of the 2025 draft. The Steelers have been doing their homework on the 2026 quarterback draft class, but with a pick at No. 21, they aren’t likely to land one of the few top-tier rookie signal-callers unless they use draft capital to move up.
Like last year, Pittsburgh will undoubtedly host a number of quarterbacks on predraft visits to do their due diligence, but it seems more likely the Steelers would look for another inexpensive bridge quarterback option to get them to a stronger 2027 draft class. — Pryor
What’s next for Tomlin?
YearsCoachSeasons1965-85Tom Landry212007-25Mike Tomlin192001-19Bill Belichick191933-51George Halas16
On some level, whatever he wants (other than coaching the Steelers). He’ll likely draw interest from multiple TV networks for a variety of possible roles if he wants to take some time off from coaching, with the potential to go back later. He’ll also surely draw interest from teams that need a head coach, since plenty of these front offices are looking for coaches who have NFL head coaching experience; no one on the current market except John Harbaugh has anywhere close to as much of that as he does.
Tomlin’s entry into the coaching free agent market is sure to alter teams’ plans and interview schedules, and if he wants to jump right into another head coaching job, he’ll have his pick. — Graziano
How does the 2025 season affect Tomlin’s legacy?
Tomlin’s final season was a microcosm of his 19-year tenure at the helm of the Steelers. There were incredible highs and improbable wins coupled with inconceivable lows and befuddling losses. Ultimately, the 10-7 final season was like so many before — good enough to reach the postseason, but not good enough to make a run and recapture the magic of his early years. The Tomlin era in Pittsburgh will be remembered for near-instant success and an unprecedented streak of non-losing seasons as the head coach raised the floor of his squad every single season by being a transparent leader and a players’ coach.
“Obviously, he’s the fall guy, right? You look at this situation and you said, ‘OK, we went down. Who’s the leader?’ They’re going to look at the leader. And for us, that’s Mike Tomlin. But we had a hell of a leader, a great leader, a man that is capable of leading us to ultimately the ultimate goal. And he’s done it. He’s very capable of doing it. Like I said before, we just came up short,” Smith said on Monday. — Pryor
