Ryan Clark Believes Steelers Will Never Win Again Under Mike Tomlin: "Voice Has Run Stale"

The Pittsburgh Steelers have never had a losing season with Head Coach Mike Tomlin at the helm in his 18 seasons. He began his tenure in 2007 and experienced early success, winning a Super Bowl in just his second year. Tomlin has kept the Steelers competitive year after year, consistently guiding the team to respectable finishes regardless of roster challenges. However, the Steelers have not won a playoff game since the 2016 season, which is a long drought for a franchise with such a storied history.

For a team that prides itself on championships and postseason success, the lack of playoff wins has become a growing concern. While Tomlin’s ability to avoid losing seasons is impressive, many fans feel it is no longer enough. Some have begun calling for change, even though the Steelers have not fired a head coach since 1968. The organization values loyalty and stability, but the pressure to return to playoff prominence continues to mount.

On Thursday, former Steelers safety Ryan Clark made headlines with a strong opinion on ESPN. Clark, who played under Tomlin and knows him well, suggested that Tomlin’s message may no longer be resonating with the team and the fan base. 

He questioned whether Tomlin's voice has grown stale in Pittsburgh, pointing to the lack of playoff results as a sign that change might be needed. His comments reflect what many in Steeler Nation have been feeling — that the standard must be higher than just avoiding losing seasons.

"As great as a coach he is, and he's a first-ballot Hall of Famer, I believe his voice has run stale [in Pittsburgh]," Clark said. "He needs to go have his Andy Reid Kansas City run."

Clark says this on repeat every year, and he's been saying it for several seasons now. Nothing has really changed when it comes to the Steelers' leadership, so every offseason feels like the same story with the same narrative surrounding Tomlin. 

But now, the national media is starting to come down on him a little harder than they used to.

"The most telling pieces about those games is the deficits they have faced in all of those playoff games," Clark said. "I believe that Mike Tomlin is un-firable. I believe that if Mike Tomlin steps away from being the coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, that should be his decision."

There’s no denying that Tomlin is a great head coach and will go down as one of the better ones of all time. But many Steelers fans are frustrated by the perception that he is above criticism. 

Year after year, coaches around the league get slammed by the media, even when they’ve had great success. Many feel that Tomlin hasn’t even had that level of success recently, yet he still gets a pass simply because he consistently avoids losing regular seasons.

Steelers' Tomlin Never Has To Face The Fear Of Being Fired

In today’s NFL, most head coaches operate on a short leash, yet Tomlin has enjoyed one of the longest. He is now the longest-tenured head coach across all four major American sports, which is remarkable considering the Steelers have not had meaningful playoff success in nearly a decade.

As the 2025 season approaches, Tomlin will be under pressure to finally lead this team on a serious postseason run. Regardless of how competitive the roster looks on paper, the standard in Pittsburgh remains the same: deep playoff runs. The fan base will not be satisfied until that happens, and Tomlin knows it. He is eager to end the drought in 2025 but whether he will be able to remains to be seen.

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