Less than 24 hours after seeing his team lose 30-6 to the Houston Texas in the 2025 AFC Wild Card Round, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has announced that he is resigning his position with the franchise. In a statement released by the team Tomlin explained his decision:
After much thought and reflection, I have decided to step down as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This organization has been a huge part of my life for many years, and it has been an absolute honor to lead this team. I am deeply grateful to Art Rooney II and the late Ambassador Rooney for their trust and support. I am also thankful to the players who gave everything they had every day, and to the coaches and staff whose commitment and dedication made this journey so meaningful.
I want to also thank Steelers Nation. Your passion, loyalty, and high expectations represent what makes this franchise truly special. Coaching in Pittsburgh is unlike anywhere else, and I will always take great pride in having been a steward of this team.
While this chapter comes to a close, my respect and love for the Pittsburgh Steelers will never change. I am excited for what the future holds for this organization, and I will forever be grateful for my time coaching in Pittsburgh.
The move, while welcomed by a large segment of the fan base, is nonetheless sending shockwaves through Steelers Nation.
Cam Heyward, Mike Tomlin & Aaron Rodgers walk off in triumph. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review
Whether this move portends to bigger and better things for the franchise remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Mike Tomlin has earned the right to leave on his own terms and all should respect his decision to do so.
- The move itself, while ground shaking, cannot be considered a complete surprise for several reasons.
First, this is the second time in two years that there’s been informed speculation that Tomlin may decide to set aside. Two years ago, prior to the 3-game season-ending winning streak and surprise playoff berth, two sourced commentators speculated that 2023 would be Tomlin’s last in Pittsburgh.
On the Steel City Insider podcast, veteran NFL journalist Vic Ketchman did everything but say that Gerry Dulac would break the story of Tomlin’s departure. Ed Bouchette didn’t go that far, but did say the he expected “one way or another I expect this season to be Tomlin’s last” (that’s quote from memory so don’t shoot me if its not 100% correct.)
Then, after the Steelers playoff loss to the Bills, Tomlin walked out of his press conference when asked about his future with the team, and his normal season-ending Tuesday press conference wasn’t immediately scheduled.
It doesn’t take someone with a Ph.D. in press relations or sports-management to know that at least the potential for change was afoot.
In contrast, Tomlin took a question about his future following the Texans game in stride, and was decidedly non-committal.
- Finally, Tomlin’s demeanor has changed.
To be clear, unlike veteran press reporters, I’ve never met nor ever observe in person. I do know enough to understand that the Mike Tomlin everyone saw in front of the cameras was very different than the one on display when the cameras weren’t rolling.
However, there was something different about Mike Tomlin in his post-game press conferences. After the both wins against the Ravens, the energy he displayed was quite different than what you would normally expect to see.
Perhaps it is because he rediscovered what it was like to have a quarterback capable of hauling a team on his back to victory and realize that, should Aaron Rodgers retire as he likely will, he’d have to once again start again from zero on that front.
But that’s just speculation.
Maybe, like Chuck Noll before him, Mike Tomlin decided that it was “time to smell the roses.”
More on Tomlin and the Tomlin Era to Come
As regular readers have realized, Steel Curtain Rising has been quiet since the Miami game.
That’s because I’ve been following my own version of “The Rooney Rule”* which is to focus on my family instead of writing about football while I’m traveling in the United States.*
That trip will extend for 7 days more.
But after that I’ll have more to day about the 2025 Steelers season, the Mike Tomlin era, and the search to find his successor.
In the meantime, thanks for reading!
*Dan Rooney’s dedication to the Steelers was tireless — but he always put his family first.
Good call, Keith. When Coach T was first hired, he and Kiya had three toddlers, all under the age of 6. Well, two of them now have college degrees and the third is finishing up colleage. They’ll soon be empty nesters.
Mike is 53. His predecessor, Bill Cowher, stepped down at 49 – when the girls were still in high school (IIRC) and three years later, Kaye Cowher died of an aggressive form of melanoma. Nolhing in life is guaranteed – except that nobody gets outta here alive – and it would seem that Mike Tomlin felt that the greatest gift he could give his family – and himself – is the gift of time, Now. While he and his wife have good health, and before the kids have families of their own.
Welcome, Mitchael P. Tomlin, to your sabbatical year. The one year you can do what you want to do with the ones you love. And then, during that year of complete freedom, you can decide on your life’s work, part two.
If Mike had the chance to ever talk about this will his predessor, the betting here is that Coach Cowher would have told him that stepping down when he did was the best move with the best timing he ever made. I don’t know this as a fact, but I do know that the Rooneys have always said they are about faith, family, and football, and it seems that was the case with the Emperor, the Chin, and Coach T as well.
Enjoy the rest of your time here in DC, and safe travels!
After listening to all of the pundits, so-called “experts”, and others in social media prognosticate when and where Tomlin will go next, I haven’t heard anyone put forth this idea:
Tomlin won’t follow Cowher and Bradshaw into the “external noise” machines that are the football pre-game, half-time, post-game shows…
…nor will he coach for another NFL team…
Instead, I believe, after a sufficent amount of time off with his family, Tomlin will coach high school or a small college program.
After 19 years of seeing how players come into the league unprepared for life and/or adulthood, and having built a league-wide reputation for being a role model, I believe Tomlin will seek to impact players BEFORE they get to the highest level. It will be at the high school or lower college ranks that he could find avenues to having the greatest impact on the greatest number of young men.