Fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers have been very angry with Head Coach Mike Tomlin as of late, and it's reached a point where they chanted to fire him during a home game in Week 13. Despite that, there is virtually no chance that he actually gets fired anytime soon. The best-case scenario for fans that want him gone is likely that the two sides come to a mutual agreement that they need fresh starts in their own right. It worked for both Andy Reid and the Philadelphia Eagles, so why can't it work for the other team in Pennsylvania?
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Steelers' Mike Tomlin and Chiefs' Andy Reid shake hands after a game in Pittsburgh, PA.
On the latest episode of Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger explained just how much power Tomlin truly has in the organization, and his quote explains perfectly why he is not being fired at this point.
"Coach Tomlin has so much control in that building, moreso than anybody knows, and he can deny it all he wants, but I've been there. I've seen it," Roethlisberger said. "People can say about draft picks, this, that, and the other, 'Well no, it's Mr. Rooney.' It is, but Coach Tomlin is way over Omar [Khan] and way over some of these other guys, and so he's going to have his say."
Roethlisberger saw firsthand that Tomlin has extensive control of the team at this point. Whatever he wants, he usually gets. Either way, with how much the head coach dictates what happens on every level, the Steelers may not be willing to replace him just yet.
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Pittsburgh Steelers' front office Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin after making a selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
It's been revealed repeatedly that Tomlin builds the schemes for the offense and defense, and his coordinators work within that framework to call plays. That has arguably been the problem in Pittsburgh for a while, and Roethlisberger even mentioned that Tomlin was at his best when he wasn't controlling the Xs and Os early in his career.
If Tomlin has a lot of control over General Manager Omar Khan, he likely gained a lot of control over former GM Kevin Colbert as well in his final years with the team. If that's the case, fans may have been too harsh on the past front office member. Outside of 2017, Colbert's drafts over his last eight years were very weak. The question there is how much of it came from him and how much was the head coach pulling the strings to make these picks happen?
As Roethlisberger said, there are many other facets in the team that Tomlin has lots of control over, to the point where most fans have no idea what's really going on behind the scenes. Whatever the case may be, this is his team, and he is the primary reason that his teams have been unable to win a playoff game since 2016. Everything starts and ends with him.
Steelers.com
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin speaks with members of the media during a press conference, addressing team performance, player development, and expectations for the upcoming season.
There are many moves that were made in the 2025 offseason to try and break this playoff win drought, but a losing season seems to be more likely through 13 weeks. Eventually, Tomlin will have to look at himself if he ever wants to win in January again. For the direction of the team to change in the right direction, he has to do it first, even if he's forced to by the one man that has power over him.
Steelers May Need To Step In And Force Tomlin To Give Up Control
Owner Art Rooney II certainly heard the boos and the chants to fire his head coach. He claims to be frustrated, but reports say that it's more directed at the fans. If he wants to calm the angry fans down, he will have to take powers away from Tomlin. It starts with the schematics, and it goes from there depending on how well the team does with that change.
What do you think about all the control Tomlin supposedly has? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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