01/13/26 02:15:00
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01/13 14:13 CST Mike Tomlin steps down after 19 seasons as coach of the
Pittsburgh Steelers
Mike Tomlin steps down after 19 seasons as coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers
By WILL GRAVES
AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) --- The Mike Tomlin era in Pittsburgh is over.
The longest-tenured head coach in major American professional sports stepped
down from his job leading the Steelers on Tuesday after yet another quick
playoff exit.
The announcement came a day after the end of his 19th season in Pittsburgh,
where he was a relative unknown when he was hired to replace Bill Cowher in
early 2007 before carving out his own Hall of Fame-worthy chapter in team
history.
"I am deeply grateful to Art Rooney II and the late Ambassador (Dan) Rooney for
their trust and support," Tomlin said in a statement released by the team. "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."
Art Rooney II, who took over for his Hall of Fame father as team president in
2003, lauded Tomlin for his dedication to the franchise and his uncanny ability
to churn out competitive teams year after year in an era when parity is the
norm.
"It is hard for me to put into words the level of respect and appreciation I
have for Coach Tomlin," Rooney said in a statement. "He guided the franchise to
our sixth Super Bowl championship and made the playoffs 13 times during his
tenure, including winning the AFC North eight times in his career. His track
record of never having a losing season in 19 years will likely never be
duplicated."
Tomlin won one Super Bowl and went to another during his first four seasons in
Pittsburgh before the club settled into a pattern of solid if not always
spectacular play followed by a playoff cameo that ended with the Steelers on
the wrong side of a blowout.
The 53-year-old Tomlin won 193 regular-season games in Pittsburgh, tied with
Hall of Famer Chuck Noll for the most victories in franchise history. But their
resumes diverged when it comes to the playoffs. While Noll won four Super Bowls
in the 1970s, Tomlin went just 8-12 in the postseason, losing each of his last
seven playoff games, all by double-digit margins.
The last came Monday night, when the AFC North champions squandered some early
momentum before getting drilled 30-6 by Houston, the most lopsided home playoff
loss in team history.
There were chants of "Fire Tomlin!" as the clock kicked toward zero, though
they weren't nearly as impassioned as they were in late November while the
Steelers were getting pushed around by Buffalo in a loss that dropped their
record to 6-6.
Tomlin did his best to tune out the noise and his team responded, the way it
seemingly always did during his tenure. Pittsburgh won four of its final five
games, including a sweep of Baltimore that gave the club its first AFC North
title since 2020.
The optimism, however, dimmed once the Texans asserted themselves. The NFL's
top-ranked defense suffocated Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh's offense while the
league's highest-paid defense wilted late.
It was a familiar and frustrating pattern for a place where, as Tomlin noted
not long after his introduction, "the standard is the standard."
And while that remains the case for a team whose members walk by six Lombardi
Trophies every day on the way to work, the results had plateaued. The Steelers
finished with 9 or 10 wins in each of Tomlin's final five seasons, often doing
just enough to squeak into the playoffs before being exposed by a more talented
opponent.
Tomlin had two years left on the contract extension he signed in 2024, with the
club holding the option for 2027.
His departure leaves the Steelers looking for a head coach for just the third
time since they hired Noll in 1969.
Pittsburgh likely won't lack for attractive candidates. The club's stability
--- the team has had just three head coaches since 1969 --- combined with its
ability to remain competitive even without a franchise quarterback for the last
half-decade means whoever gets the job will be given substantial leeway to get
the team back to the top.
The announcement came as somewhat of a shock. Tomlin learned long ago to tune
out his detractors, and in the final question he fielded as head coach, he
painted an upbeat picture about the team's future.
"I'm always feel optimistic about what we're capable of doing in terms of
putting together a group, certainly," he said Monday night.
And with that, he stepped off the dais and into a future that will not lack for
options. Long one of the most charismatic people in football, Tomlin could step
into television if he wants, as Cowher did after retiring, with no looking back.
Yet it seems just as likely that he will have his choice of jobs if or when he
wants to coach again. Players defended Tomlin --- almost uniformly popular
within the locker room --- to the end.
Tight end Pat Freiermuth called Tomlin "one of the best coaches I'll ever play
for, probably the best. In my opinion his message hasn't got stale. I believe
in him."
Freiermuth added that his belief extended to general manager Omar Khan, who
will be in charge of finding the right person for one of the most attractive
coaching gigs in any league.
Tomlin's two predecessors are in the Hall of Fame. Tomlin could very well find
himself getting fitted for a gold jacket of his own. Yet rather than try to
come back next year and break Noll's record for regular-season wins, he opted
to, as Noll once famously put it, "get on with his life's work."
And the Steelers will try to find the right person to help them return to the
standard that the franchise lives by, one it clutched at but never quite
grasped during Tomlin's final years.
___
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