The boos, the jeers and the constant social media pressure have finally done what they intended to do. The long-tenured head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin, stepped down on Tuesday. It’s not normal for a head coaching change within the Steelers organization. The Steelers have only had three coaches since 1970, the fewest by any team in the NFL in that span.

As a franchise, the Steelers have always been known for winning. According to Pro Football Reference’s statistics, Mike Tomlin set a record for consecutive seasons with a winning record, with 19. He also tied Steelers head coach Chuck Noll for most regular season wins in Steelers history, 193, and is 10th all-time in wins as a head coach.

However, for the past nine years, the Steelers have not won a playoff game despite seven postseason appearances. The mark of seven straight playoff losses by a coach not only ties an NFL record, but it’s also the longest playoff losing streak in the history of the Steelers franchise.

It was just a matter of time before Tomlin was out. Noll coached for 23 years, Bill Cowher coached the Steelers for 15 years, and 2025 marked Tomlin’s 19th season as head coach. 

For a lot of fans, there is animosity towards Tomlin because of the recent struggles from such a fabled organization, but if you really begin to look at the teams that Tomlin had to work with in this recent playoff losing stretch, can you blame him for the failure?

In an article from the Sporting View, Colin Capece explains the Steelers’ recent history with quarterbacks. After Ben Roethlisberger retired, Tomlin’s starting quarterbacks have been Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Mason Rudolph and the starter for this season, Aaron Rodgers, who is a 42-year-old quarterback soon to retire. 

Pickett and Trubisky spent most of their 2025 seasons serving as their new team’s backup quarterback, while Wilson and Fields were both benched midway through their seasons. 

Is Tomlin still to blame? Yes, but to what extent? I don’t believe that there would’ve been any coach in the NFL with those quarterbacks that would still come out with more wins than losses in a four-year stretch. Tomlin stepping down shows that he has all the love and support for the Steelers and their fanbase and vice versa. Tomlin was not fired because of the failure, but stepped down out of respect.

I do think that there is light on the other side of the tunnel for Tomlin, whether that be moving into television or becoming a head coach for a different team. The move was best for both sides, similar to the Philadelphia Eagles firing head coach Andy Reid despite him being a successful head coach with the franchise. Reid now has three Super Bowl wins with the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Philadelphia Eagles have since won two Super Bowls.

There will always be a special room in Steeler fans’ hearts for Tomlin, especially those who don’t remember the Steelers before they were coached by him.