Mike Tomlin's Biggest Flaw That Ruined The Steelers Is Exposed

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been in quarterback purgatory ever since Ben Roethlisberger decided to retire following the 2021 season. The franchise was really in trouble going into that final season with Roethlisberger as well, as he was not the player he once was. The next franchise quarterback has not been found, but the organization has been trying. Right after Roethlisberger retired, the organization went out and signed Mitch Trubisky in free agency and then drafted Kenny Pickett in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Neither of those moves worked in the long run, but it is hard to imagine that any young quarterback would have flourished in Pittsburgh during that time.

Mike Tomlin already had a franchise quarterback when he was hired to be the head coach in Pittsburgh, and Roethlisberger had already had a ton of success by that point. Once he retired, it put Tomlin in unfamiliar territory. He didn't seem to fully trust another quarterback on his roster, and the offense became extremely conservative as the main goal of the unit seemed to be to not turn the ball over. It was hard to watch, and the lack of aggression from the offensive side of the ball probably cost the franchise some games.

This was a talking point on Wednesday on 93.7 The Fan, and it was being discussed how Pickett was not developed as a passer and the Steelers just wanted him to hand the ball off and not turn the ball over as mentioned. Former NFL general manager Doug Whaley agreed and spoke about why this was not good for Pittsburgh.

"Yeah, no doubt about it," Whaley said. "That's the biggest issue. Because nowadays, in football, it's all about the quarterback. It's all about the quarterback and the offense. If you look at the rules that have been changed and everything. And I understand, he had such success, think about when he had Ben Roethlisberger. He just didn't have the confidence and the trust in the quarterbacks that he had after. That's just a hard way to make a living in today's football. It's just hard."

Whaley clearly saw that the trust was not there between Tomlin and players like Trubisky or Pickett, and the same can probably be said about the former head coach's relationship with Justin Fields at the start of the 2024 season. He only really trusted the veteran quarterbacks that came into Pittsburgh, which included Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers.

It was almost as if the Steelers drafted Pickett in the first round back in 2022 and then showed no signs of wanting to develop him. Many fans in the city do not like Pickett due to the fact that he was a bust, but the blame should not completely fall on him. Some of that blame is on Tomlin, especially for keeping Matt Canada around going into the 2023 season.

Tomlin wanted to rely on his defense and possessing the football after Roethlisberger retired, which isn't necessarily a bad strategy. It can work, but the NFL is so offense-centered that the Steelers needed to be strong on that side of the football in some regard.

Steelers Missed Out On A Potential Franchise Quarterback In 2025

The Steelers passed on drafting Jaxson Dart in 2025 and he was later selected by the New York Giants near the end of the first round. He had a pretty successful rookie season. He showed promising signs of being a good starter in this league, and Pittsburgh could have had him. Instead, Pittsburgh opted to go with Rodgers, and Tomlin certainly had a say in that. 

Fans should be at least a little bit frustrated about this since Tomlin already knew he would be stepping down, and there is a chance he just wanted to work with an older quarterback he knew he could trust in his final season.

What do you think about the way Tomlin handled the quarterback situation over the final years of his tenure? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

#SteelerNation