It’s the end of an era in Pittsburgh.
Mike Tomlin is stepping down as the head coach of the Steelers after 19 seasons. The news comes the day after the Steelers got dominated at home by the Houston Texans 30-6 in the wild-card round of the playoffs on Monday night.
There had been talk over the last week about Tomlin’s future, and there were plenty of questions about whether he would return to Pittsburgh for the 2026 season. He has made the decision that now is the time for a change.
Despite being a veteran head coach, Tomlin is still only 53 years old. There is speculation that he could go into TV and take some time off from coaching. One NFL reported has already predicted where Tomlin will end up.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that people surrounding Tomlin had been thinking all year that this would be his last season. Schefter says that Tomlin is ready for a life change and that the coach had been worn out all season.
The Steelers have had incredible stability in their organization. Since 1969, the Steelers have only had three head coaches: Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin. Now they will need a fourth.
What’s interesting to keep in mind is that Tomlin is stepping down while still under contract with Pittsburgh. That means if Tomlin wants to work for another team in the future, that team would need to arrange compensation for the Steelers.
Tomlin leaves Pittsburgh with a Super Bowl win, 8 playoff victories, and 8 AFC North titles. He never had a losing season in 19 years as the Steelers’ head coach.
