Though speculation about Mike Tomlin’s future with the Pittsburgh Steelers has run rampant over the past handful of years, it feels as though it has legs for perhaps the first time.
The Steelers got off to a fast start this season with a 4-1 record. Since then, however, the team has gone 2-4 and seen its lead in the AFC North dwindle in the snap of a finger.
That story is eerily similar to the one that played out in 2024, as Pittsburgh was 10-3 entering Week 15 before losing its final four contests in the regular season and watching the Baltimore Ravens, who would later eliminate them in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, take home the division crown.
There’s no denying Tomlin’s excellence and legacy in Pittsburgh. At this point in time, though, it’s worth wondering whether or not a change of scenery would benefit both sides, and if things keep trending downward, that outcome could become a reality.
Nov 16, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin looks on during the second half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
Does Tomlin Want Out?
NFL insider Josina Anderson put out a report insinuating that a “longtime” NFL head coach is pondering a potential move, with some believing she was referring to Tomlin.
“Meanwhile, there is a longtime NFL head coach out there who is considering wanting a change of scenery & has told others of these thoughts,” Anderson wrote. “If he acts on those lingering feelings, his departure would clearly add to the list of vacancies.”
Keeping tabs as we approach Carousel season:
League sources are eyeing five more NFL teams with projected openings at head coach, as of where things stand today, while waiting to collect more data on a 6th team too.
Meanwhile, there’s is a longtime NFL head coach out there who…
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) November 25, 2025
There’s no way to confirm whether or not Anderson was, in fact, alluding to Tomlin in this case, but the possibility of him leaving the Steelers feels like it’s more on the table this upcoming offseason than it was a year or two ago.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo also touched on the topic in his weekly chat, stating that he doesn’t see a world in which Pittsburgh will simply let Tomlin go and take on the final two years of his contract without having him in the building.
Instead, Fittipaldo threw out a scenario in which the two sides could mutually part ways, which would allow Tomlin to find another job and the Steelers to not have to pay out the remaining total left on his deal.
“I don’t see the Steelers eating the final two years of that contract,” Fittipaldo wrote. “Maybe there’s a common ground where they mutually agree to part ways. Tomlin gets another job and they’re not on the hook for the entirety of that contract.”
Why Tomlin Could Leave Pittsburgh
It’s easy to lose sight of everything Tomlin has accomplished with the Steelers amidst the team’s six-game playoff losing streak and just how unspectacular they’ve been for most of the decade up to this point.
With that being said, he has guided the team to 18-straight non-losing seasons and a win in Super Bowl XLIII while also owning the 11th-most victories of any head coach in league history at 189. Replacing Tomlin wouldn’t be easy, but doing so might be for the betterment of both parties.
Though there was some talk of Tomlin departing Pittsburgh last offseason following the team’s disappointing conclusion to the 2024 campaign, with the Chicago Bears going so far as to gauge interest in him before being rebuffed by the Steelers, a separation never felt likely.
If the team can’t turn things around this season, though, it might be time for the two sides to seriously reconsider their partnership. That’s not to say Tomlin would surely leave in that scenario, but a case could be made that he’d have run his course in Pittsburgh.
Whether it’s by way of trade or simply hitting the open market and landing with another organization, the possibility of Tomlin heading somewhere else is more realistic than ever.