The Pittsburgh Steelers saw their playoff drought continue on Monday night, falling in the first round yet again. The loss marked the seventh straight in the postseason for Mike Tomlin. The now former head coach announced Tuesday he is stepping away, which sent shockwaves through the NFL world. The Steelers will now have a void to fill on the sidelines, as Tomlin was with the team for 19 seasons. Tomlin stepping away was received with much emotion on Tuesday in the Steelers community. The Steelers must have a meticulous approach in replacing him to avoid further fan frustration.
Matt Freed / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Former Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin looks on in Wild Card Round loss to Houston Texans in 2025 season.
On Tuesday, Mike Decourcy of the Sporting News mentioned that Tomlin stepping away leaves the Steelers organization in a tough spot. While there were "Fire Tomlin" chants heard in the Steelers' home game against the Buffalo Bills in Week 13 of the 2025 season, Decourcy mentions that the playoff shortcomings could soon become viewed of fondly in the near future. The reason behind that is Tomlin was good at coaching his team up, regardless of deficiencies in the Steelers' roster. It certainly was time for the two sides to part, with the former also being true.
"Does [Art] Rooney [II] follow the organizational preference to hire a young assistant coach with apparent talent?" Decourcy wrote. "That’s the most over-harvested crop in the league right now, given all the coaching changes that occurred elsewhere. Does he try what’s worked in Denver and New England? If there were a Mike Vrabel around, that would be tremendous, but he’s got a game this weekend."
This change at head coach definitely could prove to be inopportune timing for the Steelers. Just last season, the Chicago Bears went out and poached former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson away from Detroit and hired him as Chicago's head coach.
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Bears QB Caleb Williams speaking with his Head Coach Ben Johnson.
Johnson took the Bears from 5-12 in 2024 to 11-6 in 2025 and NFC North division champions. Decourcy also mentioned Mike Vrabel, who the New England Patriots hired ahead of the 2025 season. Vrabel took New England from 4-13 in 2024 to 14-3 with an AFC East division championship in 2025.
Steelers Need To Rebuild Quickly
While the departure of Tomlin would have been great last year considering the crop of coaches including Vrabel and Johnson, the Steelers must be meticulous in their search for a new head coach in nearly two decades. Steelers President and Owner Art Rooney II must be sure to move efficiently and cautiously in this coaching search. While Steelers fans grew sick of the playoff shortcomings under Tomlin, Rooney will benefit greatly from this departure if he finds someone who can rebuild the Steelers quickly.
While the coaching crop may not be as flashy as last year, there are some names that the Steelers can target. The approach should be to bring in a younger, up-and-coming mind in the league. One name that is out there is current Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator, Brian Flores, as he recently served in Pittsburgh as their senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach in 2022. A couple other names that came up Tuesday once the Tomlin departure was announced are Chris Shula, who is the defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams, and Jesse Minter, who serves the same role for the Los Angeles Chargers.
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Rams Defensive Coordinator Chris Shula roams the sideline while coaching his unit.
While the coming days and months will be filled with rumors and speculation swirling, this approach must be very detail-oriented. The Steelers will have to attack this carefully, but efficiently to replace Tomlin. While it is possible the recent playoff shortcomings under Tomlin could soon be missed, a homerun hire at head coach will greatly benefit the Steelers. If they are able to quickly turn things around like Chicago and New England did, then the slight setback will certainly be worth the wait for fans in Pittsburgh, who are starving for playoff success from their storied franchise.
Would you like to see a meticulous approach from the Steelers as they search for a new head coach in hopes of a quick rebuild? Let us know in the comments below!
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