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Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on during the first quarter of the game against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field.
For the first time in nearly 20 years, the Pittsburgh Steelers sideline will be led by Mike McCarthy instead of Mike Tomlin.
McCarthy steps into one of the most stable franchises in professional sports. Steelers fans have known only three head coaches since 1969: Tomlin, Bill Cowher and Chuck Noll.
Needless to say, the record books don’t show many losing seasons during that span — but they do show six Super Bowl titles. Noll won four. Cowher and Tomlin each won one.
There were only nine losing seasons across that entire stretch. Noll accounted for six in 22 seasons. Cowher had three in 14. Tomlin had none in 19 years.
The worst any Tomlin team finished was 8-8, which happened three times. That streak of non-losing seasons became both a badge of honor and a point of debate — something supporters leaned on and critics rolled their eyes at.
Now, that streak may be in jeopardy.
According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, it could end in 2026.
ESPN Analyst Predicts Tough First Season For Mike McCarthy
In one of his bold predictions for the 2026 season, Graziano predicted that Pittsburgh will post its first losing season in 23 years.
“The Steelers will have their first losing season since 2003. For a few years now, this roster has needed a more extensive rebuild than the team has been willing to undergo,” Graziano said. “For all the issues Steelers fans had with Mike Tomlin by the end of his tenure, there’s a good chance 2026 shows that he was actually holding things together in Pittsburgh.”
If you asked Steelers fans whether they’d miss Tomlin, many probably would have said no. But that sentiment may have softened after McCarthy’s hiring, which was met with mixed reactions.
Despite never having a losing season, Tomlin was often criticized for keeping the Steelers competitive — but not elite — particularly in recent years.
Since 2020, Pittsburgh won the AFC North twice, missed the playoffs once and was eliminated in the Wild Card round in four postseason appearances.
If McCarthy delivers a losing season, the criticism will be immediate. But ironically, that result might be exactly what the franchise needs. The Steelers have had just two top-10 draft picks since 2000.
Art Rooney II’s Stance on Rebuild Could Be Tested
A losing season — and potentially a top-10 selection — would signal a true rebuild. But that’s not something Steelers ownership has publicly embraced.
“[Rooney] talked about the fact that he didn’t want to rebuild,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on The Pat McAfee Show. “And they’ve got a veteran team. And this is a team that won the division this past year. They won the division. They’re not ready to shut it down and rebuild. And so they felt that Mike McCarthy, who’s got the experience he does [and] who’s familiar with grooming quarterbacks could be helpful…”
The good news for Pittsburgh is McCarthy doesn’t have a long history of losing seasons either. He has five in his career between the Packers and Cowboys.
His most recent came in his final season in Dallas at 7-10. His worst was in Green Bay in 2018 when the Packers finished 4-7-1.
Still, in Pittsburgh, expectations are different. History is different.
And if Graziano is right, 2026 could mark the end of one of the NFL’s most impressive streaks.
Shane Shoemaker Shane Shoemaker is a sports journalist covering college football and the NFL for Heavy.com. His work has also appeared in The Sporting News, Athlon Sports, USA TODAY, and ClutchPoints, along with high school sports coverage for the Marion Tribune. More about Shane Shoemaker
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