If Ever Steelers' Mike Tomlin Could Lose The Locker Room It's Now

The Pittsburgh Steelers spent the 2025 offseason trying to get more experienced, and they succeeded in that front. However, the season has been the same result thus far as recent seasons, as the team is currently sitting at .500 after 13 weeks. Fans are absolutely furious at every part of this team at this point. Despite that, Pittsburgh still controls its own destiny for the 4 seed in the AFC. They still play the Baltimore Ravens twice, with one game coming up in Week 14 and another one to end the season. Winning cures all. 

Head Coach Mike Tomlin has drawn most of the ire from the fans, and they let him know how they felt during the Week 13 loss. Despite his streak of non-losing seasons, he has yet to win a playoff game since the 2016 season, and all signs point to that drought continuing. A fresh start for both team and coach could be exactly what they need to rebound in future years.

Even players seem frustrated with Tomlin. In his weekly Q&A chat, insider Brian Batko spoke about how Tomlin has never lost the locker room before, but that could change all because of what the Steelers did in the offseason.

"I'll point back to some of those previous seasons from recent memory I referenced earlier. He didn't 'lose the locker room' in those years," Batko said. "But 2024 was a complete and total collapse that ended on a five-game skid. It feels like if he's ever going to 'lose the locker room,' this could be it. You've got aging players on both sides of the ball, some who are new and others who have gone through this Groundhog's Day experience time and time again."

Fans have been proven wrong every time they theorized that Tomlin lost the locker room, as he always bounced back with some sort of winning streak -- whether it was later that season or to begin the next season. However, his teams of the past were significantly younger, and there were many players still learning the ropes. Now, however, almost every major contributor has been around for quite some time in the NFL.

Aging players have a much lower tolerance for locker room shenanigans and lip service being done without any real action. Tomlin wanted to load the team up with experienced players at every single position, and that's exactly what the Steelers did in the past two seasons. Now, however, some of those players' fuses may be running short, and if it does, the locker room could be unsalvageable. 

Patrick Queen, who quarterbacks the defense, has already called out the schematics publicly. Other players have made it known what they want out of Tomlin's scheme, but it doesn't seem like he is listening. If that is truly the case, Queen won't be the only one bashing the Xs and Os that get decided on behind the scenes. That is a big step towards losing the locker room. 

No matter what happens in these last five games, Tomlin will likely not be fired, as the team has made that very clear repeatedly. However, the head coach will certainly have to make some drastic changes sooner rather than later, and it goes beyond schematic changes. He said he was looking at everything for change, but he needs to look in the mirror before anything else.

Steelers' Loss Of Reputation Would Hurt In The Immediate Future

There have been numerous players that have come out and said that they would love to play for Tomlin. However, he seems to be quickly losing respect around league circles. If he can't repair his reputation in these last five games of the 2025 season, it will be very hard for him to land a premium player via free agency or trade next offseason.

Players talk to each other, and they will get very honest in those private conversations.

What do you think about Tomlin possibly losing the locker room? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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