Mike Tomlin Not Expected to Coach Anytime Soon After 19-Year Career With Steelers

Mike Tomlin stepped down from his role as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers after another exit in the Wild Card round.

Mike Tomlin Not Expected to Coach Anytime Soon After 19-Year Career With Steelers

Mike Tomlin will not coach football soon (Image via Blitzburgh/X)

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Mike Tomlin was facing a lot of pressure from both Pittsburgh Steelers fans and analysts who wanted the organization to fire the head coach after consistently underperforming over the years.

Angry fans started the trend after the humiliating Week 13 loss to the Buffalo Bills when they chanted for the head coach to be fired. That, along with the persistent calls from former players and others in Pittsburgh, affected Tomlin.

He believed the city no longer wanted him, which is why he had a meeting with owner Art Rooney II and made the decision to step down from his position as head coach.

Rooney did say that this decision was ‘family related’ and not football related… Don’t expect to see Mike Tomlin on a sideline at least this year.

Brooke Pryor revealed on SportsCenter

The ESPN journalist added that Mike Tomlin informed the Steelers’ owner that he was not going to coach football anytime soon. This could mean that he would be taking time off from coaching and weighing his options.

After the 53-year-old left the premises, it also dawned upon him that the former Steelers’ head coach wanted to spend time with his family for the time being.

All of this could indicate that it would be a while before Tomlin returns to coaching, if at all, it is in the NFL. As one of his former players alluded, the Virginia native could also dip his feet in college, as that could be a different scenario than the high-pressure environment of the NFL.

Stephen A. Smith believes lack of a good QB undermined Mike Tomlin’s time in Pittsburgh

One of the things Mike Tomlin struggled with was the ability to get past the Wild Card round in the past seven postseasons. While speaking about this, Stephen A. Smith pointed out the primary obstacle the head coach faced.

It clearly played into it from the standpoint that you didn’t have a QB since Big Ben Roethlisberger good enough to get you over that hump… What level of power did you have when it came to finding a quarterback?

Stephen A. Smith said on First Take

The analyst wondered if it was the mistakes of current GM Omar Khan or those of the past that the Steelers could not bring in a quality quarterback.

Or was it Mike Tomlin, whose vision, or lack of, was the reason they never took the hard decision to look for a signal caller who could get them past the Wild Card stage?

Smith believes that moderately good QBs have led other teams deeper into the postseason. Therefore, all the head coach could have done was not to be content with what he had and ask for something better.

Steelers could bring in an experienced candidate

With quite a few teams looking for their next head coach, the list of available candidates is already thin. On top of that, the top college head coaches have reiterated their commitment to their programs.

Steelers' President Art Rooney II will lead head coach search
Steelers’ President Art Rooney II will lead head coach search (Image via The Standard/X)

This situation could lead to an instance where some teams might have to hire candidates who were head coaches in the past. It seems the Pittsburgh Steelers, with their owner hell-bent on avoiding a rebuild and continuing to win, might be leaning on experience.

The likes of Kevin Stefanski, Mike McDaniel, Brian Flores, and John Harbaugh are available. The latter will unlikely take the Steelers’ job, as joining a divisional rival will undermine his legacy.

That leaves the other three as potential candidates. However, there is no stopping the fact that any other candidate could also convince Rooney II and GM Omar Khan to give them the job.

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