Mike Tomlin steps down as Steelers coach, ending 19-year run

[Diamond_Dog]

PITTSBURGH -- Mike Tomlin has stepped down as Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, ending a 19-year run during which he never had a losing season.

The Steelers announced Tomlin's decision Tuesday afternoon, saying his track record "will likely never be duplicated."

Tomlin, who has two years remaining on his contract, informed Steelers players of his decision to walk away at their 2 p.m. ET meeting Tuesday, one day after Pittsburgh was eliminated from the playoffs with a 30-6 loss to the Texans in the AFC wild-card round.

"During our meeting today, Coach Tomlin informed me that he has decided to step down as our Head Coach," Steelers president 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."

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https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47600644/sources-mike-tomlin-step-steelers-head-coach

[Raven123]

1. Class Act. Wish him the best

[mountain grammy]

2. He's been one of my favorite coaches

Steelers aren’t my team but always admired Mike Tomlin.

[True Dough]

3. I wonder if it was one of those

"Step down so you don't have to be fired" situations?

If so, Tomlin will surface somewhere else as a head coach. No doubt about it.

[Wiz Imp]

6. I doubt it. A reminder the Steelers have had just 3 coaches over the past 57 years

and none have been fired (Chuck Noll 23 years, Bill Cowher 15 years, Mike Tomlin 19 years). The Rooneys have been fiercely loyal to their coaches so I doubt they would have fired him under anything other than extreme circumstances. I believe this is true:

According to NFL insider Josina Anderson, it doesn’t sound like this was a snap decision for Tomlin, as he had reportedly been considering leaving the team for several years.

“League sources heard that Mike Tomlin was contemplating leaving Pittsburgh even before the season started,” Anderson reported in a post on X. “There’s been a belief that Tomlin did not feel appreciated with contingents around the city believing he should (be) fired. ‘I would say this has been building gradually for the last 3 years,’ the source opined.”

https://sportsnetpittsburgh.com/2026/01/13/nfl-insider-truth-bomb-mike-tomlins-decision-leave-steelers/

Also note, since Tomlin was under contract for 2 more seasons, if another team wants to hire him during the next 2 years, they will have to negotiate compensation with the Steelers.

[True Dough]

11. No matter how it played out behind the scenes,

I'd like to see Tomlin get another chance and see how a change of scenery suits him. He's only 53. Maybe in a year or two, he'll be head coach in another city.

[Wiz Imp]

12. It depends on what he wants to do.

I have no idea whether he'll want to coach again or not. When Bill Cowher stepped down as Steelers coach, literally everyone thought he would take a job coaching another team (He was only 49 at the time). But it never happened. Apparently, he enjoys being on TV better than the stress of coaching. He still makes a lot of money on TV.

[mountain grammy]

7. I thought the same thing when I saw the news

And I agree. Several open coaching positions.

[Auggie]

4. Great opportunity for Harbaugh and Saleh ...

I can see Harbaugh with the Steelers provided the Rooneys are okay with giving up a lot of control (though I'd expect them to be on the same page 98% of the time). As for the Saleh, the Ravens are a no-brainer.

[Diamond_Dog]

5. Sounds about right.

Who do you see in Cleveland as head coach, Auggie?

[Auggie]

8. Haven't a clue ...

Probably Shwartz, with the best OC and QB coaches available to help define, nurture and employ the skill sets of Watson and Sanders. Then I'd build my offense around those skills.

The Sporting News complied this list of candidates:

Dan Pitcher (OC, Cincinnati Bengals)
Grant Udinski (OC, Jacksonville Jaguars)
Nate Scheelhaase (Pass Game Coordinator, L.A. Rams)
Todd Monken (OC, Baltimore Ravens)
Aden Durde (DC, Seattle Seahawks)

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/cleveland-browns/news/ranking-browns-head-coach-coordinator-candidates/8ce15fec12d720042365c48a

[SoFlaBro]

9. Steelers last 3 coaching hires have fucking been under the age of 40.

[Auggie]

10. So have their quarterbacks

Just sayin' ...