Steelers' Mike Tomlin Finally Facing Legitimate Consequences Fans Have Demanded For Years

The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t going to fire Head Coach Mike Tomlin. At least not anytime soon, it feels like. The franchise is built on stability, having only had three head coaches since 1969—Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, and now Tomlin. That kind of continuity is rare in the NFL, and it's a badge of honor in Pittsburgh. However, that stability is being tested as the Steelers faithful grow increasingly restless.

Many Steelers fans are calling for a new era in the Steel City. The frustration stems from the fact that Tomlin hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season, and the team's postseason appearances have often ended in disappointment. In a city where competing for Super Bowls is the standard, not the exception, regular-season wins and avoiding losing records simply aren't enough anymore. The expectations are sky-high, and rightfully so for one of the league's most storied franchises.

While Tomlin has earned praise from the national media for never posting a losing season, even that goodwill is beginning to fade. NFL analyst Mina Kimes was especially critical of Tomlin this week, holding him accountable for the team’s collapse during the stretch run of the 2024 season. On her show Wednesday, she said Tomlin "deserves to be punished" for how things unraveled. That kind of sharp criticism from a respected voice underscores the growing pressure on the longtime head coach.

"Mike Tomlin, we all know, has not had playoff success over the last few years," Kimes said. "To me, his demotion is a reflection of that. But, I would add this. I think like we sometimes look at the Steelers and we think, well, it's just the play at the quarterback position. They just have not gotten it right at the quarterback position. And that's not Tomlin's fault. Yeah, maybe he hung onto Matt Canada for too long and whatnot, but it's not his fault that they haven't found a quarterback."

Even the most vocal Tomlin supporters are starting to struggle to defend him, and it's easy to see why. Kimes recently dropped Tomlin in her head coach rankings and gave a clear and reasonable explanation for the move. 

She pointed to how the Steelers collapsed toward the end of the 2024 season, and she made it clear that the quarterbacks were not the problem. The issues went deeper, and Tomlin's usual benefit of the doubt is beginning to fade.

"But honestly, like when you look at some of, like the last year's playoff loss, it wasn't just the quarterback position that caused them to flame out at the end, the defense laid a major egg as well, which is something we put more on his feet," Kimes said. "So, I just feel like at a certain point, you gotta punish the guy for not getting it done in the playoffs in recent years."

Supporters of Tomlin often point to the fact that he hasn't had a reliable quarterback since the final years of Ben Roethlisberger's career. However, the counterargument is that Tomlin is partly to blame for that as well. Even when he did have Roethlisberger, there were multiple disappointing playoff exits. And in 2024, Tomlin led the highest-paid defense in the NFL.

Steelers' Mike Tomlin Deserves Blame For How 2024 Ended

That defense gave up 299 rushing yards to the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs. For a unit that was considered dominant early in the year, that kind of collapse is inexcusable. That performance alone is enough to question Tomlin’s standing. He may still be a very good coach, but his results over the past several seasons haven’t backed that up.

Tomlin's job is not in jeopardy. He remains the longest-tenured head coach among the four major American sports leagues. Unless he delivers a deep playoff run soon though, frustration from Steelers fans will only continue to grow.

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