Normally, when head coaches decide to leave a team for TV, they face eye rolls and the “sure, Jan” meme. Because most of the time, they’re leaving to avoid getting fired. That’s clearly not the case with now former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin.
There was ample speculation that Tomlin might get fired. But for all the wrong reasons. He has been one-and-done in the postseason for five of the past six years — which is another way of saying that he made the postseason in five of the past six seasons.
He has struggled to get high-level quarterback play, with Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson/Justin Fields, Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph and Mitchell Trubisky. But on the flip side, he got more out of those QBs than just about anyone else could have. (In just about every case, you can see improvements upon a QB’s arrival to Pittsburgh — and regression after his departure.)
Aaron Rodgers had a solid season for the Steelers, especially for a 42-year-old quarterback. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Tomlin is an incredible coach. The Steelers’ version of nine-win “playoff hell” is a hell of a lot better than Dante’s Inferno in Cleveland and Tennessee. My colleague Ralph Vacchiano listed Tomlin’s accomplishments over the coach’s 19 seasons for the Steelers: 13 trips to the playoffs, eight division titles, two Super Bowl appearances, one championship and not a single losing season. Not one. Not even in a league that has rules designed to tear down division champions.
But for all the years that Tomlin held onto his streak without a losing season, he kept his team at the bottom of the first round of the draft, where it’s hard to find an elite quarterback. It wasn’t impossible, given that just one year ago, the Steelers could have taken Jaxson Dart (25th overall) or Tyler Shough (40th overall) — both promising prospects. But if they pan out, those quarterbacks will be exceptions, not the rule.
Pittsburgh’s need for a franchise quarterback is more acute than ever.
Aaron Rodgers isn’t coming back without Tomlin. Nor would the Steelers want him, honestly, given what’s likely to come next in Pittsburgh.
The team’s fan base is almost itching to have a losing season to secure a high pick in the 2027 draft class. If you read between the lines, that desire to lose — and that ungratefulness for sustained success — is probably why Tomlin wanted to step away.
But now that Tomlin is gone, it does make sense to think long-term about the team’s roster. About repositioning around a new head coach. About building — I don’t know — a competent offensive line.
Given the fans’ almost rabid appetite for tanking and likely a rare sense of patience within the organization after so many years of winning, the Steelers could look toward a rebuild for 2027. That willingness to look at the future — and the structural pains of losing a transcendentally talented coach — is likely to point the Steelers steeply downward in 2026.
Now, I’ll acknowledge, there is a way this team could get aggressive. They have $40 million in cap space, which jumps to almost $66.5 million with two simple moves: cut defensive back Jalen Ramsey ($19.5 million) and tight end Jonnu Smith ($7 million). And then there’s the 21st overall pick, where the Steelers could draft Alabama QB Ty Simpson. Or Pittsburgh could use its cap space to sign pending free agent Malik Willis, who might be a good fit for Klint Kubiak’s system, should the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive coordinator end up being a match for Pittsburgh.
Would Alabama QB Ty Simpson be a good fit for the Steelers, or should they reach higher in the draft or the free-agent market? (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
In essence, they could slap some Band-Aids on the situation and try to do what they’d done with Tomlin — only with another coach.
But what’s the point of Tomlin-ing without Tomlin?
Hint: There isn’t one.
It seems like the Steelers have no choice but to descend from relevance — and hope that descent is brief. And there’s good reason to believe it will be. Because by waiting for the 2027 draft class to target a quarterback, the Steelers might be in the running for Arch Manning, Sam Leavitt, Julian Sayin, LaNorris Sellers and so many others. They might even be able to trade Tomlin’s rights next offseason for a solid return. (The Broncos traded a first- and second-rounder for Sean Payton and a third-rounder.) And that could help Pittsburgh climb the draft board to target its guy.
The league revolves around its head coaches and its quarterbacks. For the longest time, the Steelers had both — Ben Roethlisberger and Tomlin. And then it was just Tomlin, who was bouncing from QB to QB.
Without Tomlin? The Steelers might come undone. But given the attitude in Pittsburgh, that wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
Before joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
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