Analyst Thinks ‘That Might Be It’ For Mike Tomlin In Pittsburgh If Steelers Don’t Go .500
Mike Tomlin has one of the most illustrious streaks in professional sports, never having a losing season in his 18 years as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach. However, if his 19th season ends in a losing record, analyst Mike Renner thinks his time in Pittsburgh may be coming to an end.
“Steelers faithful have not been enthused with Tomlin, and the direction they’re going,” Renner said Wednesday on CBS Sports HQ. “And rightfully so. I do think, if they don’t meet .500 this year, those grumblings will turn into screams from Steelers fans, just because of who they are as a franchise and what the expectations are. And so right or wrong, if he doesn’t go .500 this year, I think that might be it for Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh.”
Renner claims that Steelers fans aren’t happy with Mike Tomlin, but he might even be underselling their lack of satisfaction. It’s hard to blame those fans for feeling that way. The Steelers are used to winning or contending for Super Bowls. Now, the bar has been lowered to simply a playoff win, a feat the Steelers haven’t even accomplished in nearly a decade under Tomlin.
However, pressure from the fan base doesn’t mean the coach is going to leave. If the Steelers listened to their fans, the roster would look significantly different than it does right now. In all likelihood, Mike Tomlin won’t be going anywhere, unless the Steelers have a drastically bad season. He still has two years left on his deal after the 2025 season. The Steelers aren’t a team that wants to move on from a coach still under contract. Especially not a head coach.
Beyond that, it wouldn’t make a ton of sense given the team’s road map. While the Steelers seem to be going all in this year, they’re not disregarding their future.
The Steelers have a ton of draft picks available next April. More than enough to trade up in the first round for a quarterback if need be. Beyond just the QB, there’s a lot of youth on offense. Aside from Isaac Seumalo, the entire starting offensive line is young. The Steelers have youth at receiver in Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson. And rookie running back Kaleb Johnson could make quite an impact as well.
For all his perceived faults, Mike Tomlin does provide stability that few other coaches can. Assuming they draft a quarterback next offseason, the offense is going to be extremely young. It wouldn’t make a lot of sense to move on from Tomlin while trying to develop that side of the ball, unless the Steelers find a coach better than him, which isn’t likely.
That doesn’t mean Steelers fans have to be happy with Tomlin. They sure aren’t now. They definitely won’t be if the 2025 season goes south, after all the moves they’ve made. However, anybody calling for Tomlin to leave probably has to wait a couple more years, at least.
