For only the third time since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, the Pittsburgh Steelers are in the market for a new head coach.
Mike Tomlin is no longer leading the team he had for the past 19 seasons.
“After much thought and reflection, I have decided to step down as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Tomlin said via a statement released through the team Tuesday afternoon.
“This organization has been a huge part of my life for many years, and it has been an absolute honor to lead this team.”
Tomlin, 53, went 193-114-2 with the Steelers, tying Hall of Famer and former Steelers coach Chuck Noll for ninth place on the NFL all-time career coaches wins list. Noll (1969-91) and Bill Cowher (1992-2006) join Tomlin as the franchise’s only coaches over the past 57 seasons.
According to a team-released statement, team president Art Rooney II said Tomlin informed him Tuesday of his plan to step down. The pair met about 12 hours after the Steelers’ season ended with a 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans in a wild-card round playoff game.
“It is hard for me to put into words the level of respect and appreciation I have for Coach Tomlin,” Rooney’s statement read.
Statement from Steelers President Art Rooney II on Coach Mike Tomlin: pic.twitter.com/1g5iqKi9MN
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) January 13, 2026
Tomlin was the league’s longest-tenured coach with one team. He has never had a losing season, his winning percentage (.628) besting that of Cowher (.623) and Noll (.566).
The Steelers, however, have not won a playoff game since the end of the 2016 season. Monday night was the seventh consecutive postseason loss. It was the fourth straight playoff defeat by 10 or more points, and the Steelers have been outscored 73-3 in the first quarters of games during the postseason streak.
With speculation ramping up to its highest level in generations in regards to a Steelers coach on the proverbial “hot seat,” several players took to Tomin’s defense in the aftermath of Monday’s game.
Longtime team co-captain Cam Heyward said to point the blame for the playoff flameout not on Tomlin but on the players. Veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers referenced “Twitter experts and all the experts on TV” questioning Tomlin’s bona fides as “an absolute joke.”
Less than an hour before Tomlin told his players about his decision during a 2 p.m. team meeting, a handful were in the locker room at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. None outwardly seemed aware of what they were about to be told.
“Utmost confidence in ‘Mike T,’ man,” tight end Pat Freiermuth said. “One of the best coaches I’ve ever played for. Probably the best. In my opinion, his message hasn’t gone stale. I believe in him.”
Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. has known Tomlin since he was a kid. Porter was high school teammates with Tomlin’s son, Dino, and Porter’s father was part of Tomlin’s staff from 2014-2018.
“Coach T means a lot to me,” Porter Jr. said. “…Me and his relationship has just grown so much over the years. I just know that he’s proud of me, and I’m proud of him for all the things he’s done and the positions that he put me in. So I’m just forever thankful for him.”
Tomlin was a relative unknown and surprise choice by the Steelers after Cowher’s resignation at age 49 in January 2007. Then a 35-year-old with only one season of experience as a coordinator at the NFL level, Tomlin beat out finalists Russ Grimm and Ken Whisenhunt — the latter two men, already within the organization.
Less than a year prior to Tomlin’s hiring, Cowher had guided the Steelers to their fifth Super Bowl title.
During Tomlin’s second season, he became the youngest coach (to that point) to lead his team to a Super Bowl win when the Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.
Two years later, Tomlin’s Steelers were AFC champions again — but fell in the February 2011 Super Bowl to a Green Bay Packers team led by a young quarterback named Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers — at age 42 — ended up as Tomlin’s final quarterback with the Steelers. In September, Rodgers had become the fifth different Week 1 starter over the Steelers’ past five seasons. And although that the Steelers gamely made the playoffs four of those five seasons, that there has been a revolving door at the sport’s most important position has contributed to fan angst toward the organization.
A loud and clearly-evident “Fire Tomlin” chant from fans was heard late during a dispirited Nov. 30 loss to the Buffalo Bills that dropped the Steelers to 6-6. But wins in four of their final five regular-season games led to the team’s first division title in five years.
As the Texans broke open a close game during the fourth quarter Monday, though, the chants from the home fans became audible again.
Since that loss to the Packers in Super Bowl XLV, the Steelers are just 3-11 in playoff games. The recent lack of postseason success combined with the treading water-like feel of first-round playoff exits that have followed a parade of nine- or 10-win seasons? It began to increasingly grate on the fan base.
Still, Tomlin is well-respected across the industry. As public debate about his future intensified, his defenders pointed out that no coach had ever had as many non-losing seasons. Remarkably, over Tomlin’s 19 years he coached exactly one game in which the Steelers had already been eliminated from playoff contention.
In his statement, Rooney lauded Tomlin’s 13 playoff berths, eight AFC North titles and the run “of never having a losing season in 19 years will likely never be duplicated.”
“My family and I,” Rooney said, “and everyone connected to Steelers management, are forever grateful for the passion and dedication Mike Tomlin has devoted to Steelers football.”
Tomlin, if he so chooses, will likely have his choice of many of the other eight current NFL head coach vacancies. That list includes AFC North rivals the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens, the latter of which fired John Harbaugh last week after a regular season-closing defeat to the Steelers that clinched the division.
A television gig is also a possibility. A renowned orator and one of the league’s most recognizable faces, Tomlin likewise could surely have his pick of whatever network he wanted to work at. Cowher took a job at CBS soon after he stepped down from the Steelers 19 years and eight days back from when Tomlin did Tuesday.
Cowher has been a fixture on “The NFL Today” ever since.
During an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio after the Tomlin news broke Tuesday, Cowher called Tomlin “a tremendous coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers.” Cowher, who had three losing seasons in 15 years, was impressed that Tomlin never had any with the team.
“It speaks volumes about his resiliency and ability to, you back him into a corner, and he thrives on that opportunity,” Cowher said.
The next step for Tomlin will be revealed in the coming days and weeks. The next step for the Steelers will begin to crystallize Wednesday when Rooney holds a noon news conference.
“Coaching in Pittsburgh is unlike anywhere else, and I will always take great pride in having been a steward of this team,” Tomlin said in his statement.
“While this chapter comes to a close, my respect and love for the Pittsburgh Steelers will never change. I am excited for what the future holds for this organization, and I will forever be grateful for my time coaching in Pittsburgh.”
