The Pittsburgh Steelers’ organizational aversion to firing head coaches could rule out that scenario for Mike Tomlin, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Schefter posited on SportsCenter that “it’s hard to imagine that the Pittsburgh Steelers would ever fire [Tomlin].”

“The question is, does Mike Tomlin want to walk away? And he hasn’t in the past,” the NFL insider said. “And he gets to stay in that job as long as he wants, he’s almost tenured in that particular job. He does look a little tired. He does look a little worn by the way this season has gone. The Steelers’ next five games, obviously, are right in front of them, some tough games, some easier games, will have a chance to win the division if they can capitalize on that.

“Look, Andy Reid at one point in time was ushered out of Philadelphia, went on to go to coach in Kansas City, where he’s done great things. If Mike Tomlin wants to leave there, that would be up to him. But there’s been no indication for all the speculation in other recent years about him leaving, that has not materialized. We’ll see if this is the year it finally does materialize but in my mind that’s a choice that belongs to Mike Tomlin.”

The Reid comparison is particularly apt because he was only a year older than Tomlin, 53, when the Philadelphia Eagles fired him in 2012. Tomlin has been around for a while but is still somewhat young in coaching terms.

After Sunday, however, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to argue the Steelers should stay the course.

Pittsburgh mustered just 166 yards in a 26-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills, and the defense allowed 249 yards on the ground, the most ever for a road team at Acrisure Stadium.

Fans in the Steel City made their voices heard during the game as they called for a coaching change:

Pittsburgh has consistently maintained a high floor under Tomlin, which is one of the biggest arguments for retaining him. He has yet to post a losing record.

This might be the year that changes. The Steelers (6-6) have dropped five of their last seven, and starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers is increasingly showing his age. Sunday was the third straight start in which he had fewer than 200 passing yards.

In terms of the bigger picture, there’s no real long-term vision with Tomlin, either. Pittsburgh hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016, and the quarterback position became a revolving door once Ben Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 season.

Reid’s exit from Philly proved to be a blessing in disguise as he thrived with the Kansas City Chiefs. If the Steelers aren’t going to fire him, then Tomlin should consider how much he may benefit from working in a new setting.