The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most storied franchises in the history of the NFL. The black and gold uniforms and the red, blue, and yellow hypocycloids of the logo are immediately recognizable and call to mind all of the incredible defenses, punishing run game, and Lombardi Trophies that the team represents. A big part of why the Steelers are as successful as they are is because of the leadership of the Rooney family.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers' Art Rooney Sr. greets quarterback Mark Malone and Jack Ham.
When Art Rooney Sr. founded the Steelers in 1933, he spent decades crafting them into a winning franchise. He was always known for being frugal, which isn't surprising, considering he lived through the Great Depression. The team has been passed down from generation to generation and is currently in the hands of the original Art's grandson, Art Rooney II.
The current Rooney is no longer applauded for his thrifty ways; instead, he is often called "cheap." This isn't baseball. Rooney can't spend a fortune on his players, but he can put money into the team in other ways, with more coaching staff and better facilities. Every year of late, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) does their NFLPA Team Report Cards. This year's report looked much like last year's, with the Steelers ranking 28th out of 32 teams.
Aditi Kinkhabwala, from CBS Sports, joined The PM Team w/Poni and Mueller from the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. Show co-host Andrew Fillipponi asked her about the recent report card. The averages of the bottom five teams moved from a D- in 2024 to a C in 2025, so the Steelers did move up; they just have the same rank. Kinkhabwala said if you read the comments, you shouldn't be surprised.
"It's not completely, totally out of left field," said Kinkhabwala of the low grade. "They have their reasons. This has stayed fairly consistent since they've been doing this. I travel to every facility, and there are differences. There are a lot of differences in the Steelers building, the way that the Steelers do certain things, what the Steelers offer. A lot of that is because legacy often counted for something, but we're in a different day and age, where you're being rated on your locker room, on your lunch room or cafeteria, on your training room. It's not enough to say, 'Ok, well, we'll put up with all these things that are sort of below average, just to get to play for this coach that we'll give high marks to.'"
The disparity between the ownership and Head Coach Mike Tomlin isn't unusual. Tomlin once again received an A grade, but things like the locker room were a D. The Steelers are very limited in what they can do with their facilities because of their partnership with the University of Pittsburgh and the location. They are sandwiched between the train tracks and the Allegheny River, so there is little room for expansion.
AP Photo
Steelers Team President Art Rooney II and Head Coach Mike Tomlin.
Regardless, they set out to improve the facilities after receiving even worse marks in 2024. In that survey, they still ranked 28th overall, but their locker room was 30th, and now it is 28th; the training room was 29th and is now 25th, and their training staff made a huge leap from 28th to 18th. Even Rooney progressed thanks to his efforts; he was ranked 29th in 2024 with an F, and his current C- has him at 28th.
Steelers' Art Rooney II Is Trying To Listen More
While fans were calling for Tomlin to be fired after another one-and-done postseason trip for the team, no one expected that to happen. It is no secret that the Rooneys are loyal almost to a fault.
However, Rooney told the media he spoke to players about Tomlin, wanting to hear their perspective. While it is highly unlikely that the players would bad-mouth Tomlin, it is a step in the right direction and shows that their opinions matter.
Brooke Pryor X Video
Steelers players often speak of their respect for Mike Tomlin.
Do you think the Steelers are trending in the right direction fast enough? Tell us what you think below!
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