New Update Provides Clarity On Steelers' Mike Tomlin And His Job Security Entering The 2025 NFL Season

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been a hard team to figure out over the last decade or so. In some seasons, the offense was dominant while the defense struggled, and in others, the opposite ended up being the case. Overall, there is mainly one key fact that stands out above all else, and that is the reality that Head Coach Mike Tomlin has not been able to win a postseason game since the 2016 campaign. This has enraged a fan base that is used to winning consistently. If 2025 has the same end result as many recent years, the calls for a change will only become louder, which is not very common in the Steel City.

Many believe that Tomlin's messaging has become stale in the Steelers' locker room. On top of that, he seems to want to win just as his teams did back in the mid-2000s. The goal always seems to be playing conservatively on the offensive end, while relying on a defense that hasn't been always one of the best in the NFL. It seems as if the approach is extremely cautious and far from what the most successful organizations are currently doing.

This has led to a very consistent cycle of Tomlin being defended by the media, but fans are getting more impatient as each year passes. That is why some believe he may be on the hot seat with the start of the 2025 regular season inching closer. Team insider for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Ray Fittipaldo, made an appearance on Rothman & Ice, a radio show broadcasted on 97.1 The Fan. His confident words will upset a majority of the fan base.

"[Tomlin is] as safe as can be because he's in the first year of a three-year contract that is paying him $50 million," Fittipaldo said. "Unless something goes terribly wrong and they go 3 and 14, or something like that - which I don't totally expect - you're not going to hear anything about Mike Tomlin."

The Steelers are known for being a relatively cheap organization in the grand scheme of things. With head coaching contracts being fully guaranteed, the chances of Pittsburgh letting Tomlin go and still having to pay him the remaining salary on his deal are unlikely. It appears as if he will be around through 2027, at the very least, unless he decides to walk away. It would take a disastrous scenario for Art Rooney II to move on from the longest-tenured coach in all of professional sports.

There is no doubt that Tomlin would immediately be offered a coaching job elsewhere if the Steelers wanted to fire him, but that argument is null and void overall because change is sometimes necessary no matter who the individual running the show is. Andy Reid was a legend for the Philadelphia Eagles, but the repetitive failures to win a Super Bowl led to a breakup. Both Reid and the Eagles turned out just fine afterwards.

The standard in the city of Pittsburgh is winning championships. At this point, the fan base might be absolutely thrilled if the team could just survive past the Wild Card Round. At some point, ownership needs to find out a way to get back on track. One big step is finding a franchise quarterback, but moving on from Tomlin sooner rather than later could also be a strategic way of re-shaping the direction of the franchise.

Steelers Are Losing Respect And Loyalty From A Passionate Fan Base

When a group of fans expect to win consistently, it certainly is frustrating when that reality starts to fade. This has been happening since the 2017 season began, and the coaching staff needs to find a way to shut out the noise in 2025 to embark on a true playoff run. If not, the calls for Tomlin's firing will become louder, and Rooney will have an extremely tough decision to make about the future of the organization.

Do you think that the Steelers should have Tomlin on the hot seat in 2025? Let us know in the comments below!

#SteelerNation