Steelers May Have Been Previously Preparing To Move On From Mike Tomlin After New Information Emerges

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the middle of a very important search for a head coach to kick off the 2026 offseason. Former head coach Mike Tomlin stepped down after his team lost to the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round, and the franchise is being thorough in looking for his replacement. The entire coaching staff will likely be new as General Manager Omar Khan told assistant coaches to look for employment elsewhere after the news of Tomlin stepping down broke. A new head coach will come in and likely bring his own coaches with him, which is something the organization has to consider when conducting these interviews.

Coaching changes are always monumental, but that is especially true in Pittsburgh. The organization is often lauded for only having three head coaches since 1969, which says a lot about the franchise's hiring process and its loyalty. That makes the job one of the best openings in the NFL, and even though Tomlin was not fired, Khan seemingly was already looking into head coach candidates. According to Albert Breer of SI, Khan had a list put together well before Tomlin stepped down. 

"GM Omar Khan, like a lot of GMs, had a list ready, in the case Mike Tomlin walked away," Breer wrote. "So, yes, there was to a large degree an outline for the search already written. That said, remember the Mike Tomlin hire in 2007—which Khan was around for—came out of nowhere, and it was because the Steelers were committed to a full process. Based on how that worked out, I think it’s fair to say they’ll give this search its time."

Breer wrote this while addressing a question about the franchise's search for a head coach, as Pittsburgh seemed to act quick when it came to putting in interview requests after Tomlin stepped down. Khan apparently already had a list of candidates in mind with background research done on a few of them, which is a clear sign that the franchise was prepared for Tomlin's decision and knew that the coach stepping down was a possibility all along.

One of the candidates that Pittsburgh reportedly did background research on in the event Tomlin did step down was Chris Shula, who is the current defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams. He seems to be one of the frontrunners to land the job, but his team is still competing for a Super Bowl, so the relationship between the two parties cannot move forward at this time.

Khan and the organization being prepared for Tomlin stepping down should also make some fans wonder if the brass in Pittsburgh had planned to part ways with the coach regardless. Team President and Owner Art Rooney II spoke at his end-of-season press conference and shared that he was prepared to go into 2026 with the coach, but the leaders in Pittsburgh are known to tell fibs to the media. There is a chance that the organization was prepared to fire the coach, but he decided to step down instead, which was the better move for both sides.

Steelers Have Faith In Hiring Process

Khan and Rooney were both around for the hiring process when Tomlin was signed back during the 2007 offseason. Neither were the primary decision maker, but they were in the room and were apart of everything that was going on. That should give fans some optimism when it comes to this coaching search, as these two have had success before. The organization is going to take its time making a decision, which means fans could be on the edge of their seats for another couple of weeks.

What do you think about the Steelers having a list of names ready to go? Let us know in the comments below!

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