Steelers Coach Not Named Mike Tomlin Is On A Massive Hot Seat Entering 2025 Season

The Pittsburgh Steelers haven't won a playoff game since the 2016 season and fans are absolutely tired of having to be reminded of that fact year in and year out. Head Coach Mike Tomlin has faced a bunch of criticism, but it doesn't appear as if he will face any consequences that are related to him losing his job. Many believe that he essentially has a lifetime contract, and will be the leader of the team until he decides it is time to walk away from the organization. In the 2024 offseason, he signed a three-year extension worth roughly $50 million.

The Wild Card losses in recent years have been frustrating, but what has been even more maddening for the fan base are the end-of-year press conferences from Tomlin. It seems as if he always acknowledges that changes are necessary, but very small adjustments are made in the grand scheme of things. The same thing occurred after losing to the Baltimore Ravens in early January of 2025.

One of the biggest problems with the situation is that the largest change of all would be a new voice in charge of the locker room. With Tomlin not going anywhere, the next step up would be the coaching staff around Tomlin. However, it's extremely rare, due to how the Steelers operate, for the franchise to fire a coach that is under contract. Ownership refuses to let someone go and have to pay them for sitting on a couch somewhere else.

Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette held a fan chat on Tuesday and took plenty of questions from a group that is anticipating the 2025 campaign. One individual decided to ask the reporter who would be thrown under the bus if the season goes terribly. One name specifically came to mind, mainly due to the state of his contract.

"Who was thrown under the bus after last season? The DBs and ILBs coach," Fittipaldo noted. "I actually think [Teryl] Austin is in the final year of his deal, but he's the only one."

Teryl Austin has been with the Steelers since 2019 and was promoted to lead the defense (alongside Tomlin) in 2022. There were a lot of calls for Austin to be fired after his unit performed terribly down the stretch in 2024. The rushing defense was atrocious and while many wanted to blame a stagnant offense for the five-game losing streak that ended the team's year, the defense was just as responsible.

The lack of an existing contract after 2025 hints at the fact that Austin is on very thin ice with Tomlin and the organization. This is rather hypocritical because it can be argued that Tomlin has the most influential role within the group. Despite this, it is already being set up for Austin to be looking for new employment in January if things do not go well for the Steelers as a whole.

One of the biggest points to make is that the organization has gone through plenty of coordinators (on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball) since the last postseason win, but the team is still having many of the same consistency issues. This would point to Tomlin being at fault, and not necessarily those around him. Due to the ownership's loyalty to Tomlin, however, there will continue to be scapegoats, and Austin could be next.

Steelers Might Need A Complete Overhaul Without Playoff Win In 2025

Regardless of how much loyalty means within the franchise, the top decision-makers need to reevaluate that strategy if the 2025 campaign is looked at as a failure. Another year without a postseason victory should be considered just that, but the fan base will want to see more than just Austin leaving. Excellence is expected in the Steel City, and that has not been the standard for nearly a decade.

Do you think that the Steelers will let Austin walk if the 2025 campaign goes poorly? Let us know in the comments below!

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