Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin’s future dominated headlines this past week after fans at Acrisure Stadium spent time during a Week 13 blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills loudly and clearly chanting, “Fire Tomlin.”
Then franchise legends Ben Roethlisberger and James Harrison, who won Super Bowl XLIII with Tomlin, separately suggested that Tomlin and the Steelers could benefit from a parting of ways.
A firing is not going to happen, however, sources said this past week in the aftermath of a loss that dropped Pittsburgh to 6-6 heading into Sunday’s game against the rival Baltimore Ravens.
The Steelers know Tomlin is one of the NFL’s best coaches, and his relationship with Art Rooney and the organization he’s coached since 2007 is such that a firing is not on the table.
As sources have explained, if Tomlin doesn’t coach the Steelers in 2026, it will be because he made that decision. And while the prospect of a coach trade often comes up in media speculation, that does not appear to be much of a reality either, sources said.
Instead, if Tomlin decides to step back after a challenging 2025, the most likely scenario would be that he elects to take a year off, perhaps does some media, then re-enters the work force similar to what Sean Payton did when he stepped down as New Orleans Saints head coach after the 2021 season before joining the Denver Broncos in 2023.
In that scenario, assuming the Steelers have a different head coach in place for 2027, they would receive compensation for allowing Tomlin to seek another job.
Prior to the Chicago Bears hiring Ben Johnson this past offseason, they expressed some interest in Tomlin, which he rebuffed and did not entertain at all.