Typically, December is a time that the Pittsburgh Steelers unleash hell.
They’ve certainly done that in the last four days — on themselves.
That has the seat underneath head coach Mike Tomlin getting quite hot, at least from public perception, after the Steelers dropped two woeful games to the lowly Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots on the North Shore.
Though NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero stated Friday that he would be “shocked” if the Steelers fire Mike Tomlin and “surprised” if they trade him this offseason, Steelers’ beat writer Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was signing a different tune Friday morning on the Cook and Joe Show on 93.7 The Fan.
When asked by co-host Joe Starkey what percentage he’d put on Tomlin being the head coach of the Steelers in 2024, Fittipaldo went right down the middle.
“Fifty-percent chance, but I mean, here, let’s go through this, okay? Because I was thinking about this, this morning. We’ll know pretty soon, after the season ends, what direction Art Rooney [II] is gonna go here, because if he does nothing and he brings him back for another year, you have to extend him,” Fittipaldo said to Starkey and co-host Ron Cook, according to audio via 93.7 The Fan. “There’s no reason to bring him back in 2024 as a lame-duck head coach. You’re not gonna be able to go out and get a good offensive coordinator when the head coach is on a one-year deal, basically.
“So they’re either gonna extend him or they’re gonna move on. And I think Art Rooney is at a crossroads here.”
The Rooney family, Tomlin and the Steelers are undoubtedly at a crossroads right now. Things look and feel rather bleak in the Steel City with the franchise for the first time in a long, long time in the Tomlin tenure.
Though he has yet to have a losing season, that might be occurring this season. Things are spiraling — and fast. Injuries are piling up and even Tomlin and his shortcomings as a coach might make them hard to overcome. Add the fact that it feels like he might be losing the locker room following some comments from star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick about accountability and preparation and a change might be on the horizon.
Fittipaldo likened it to the late 1990s with Hall of Fame head coach Bill Cowher. The Steelers entered a crossroads moment then with the head coach after some losing seasons. They decided to extend him, and then Cowher went on a run with the Steelers that ultimately put him in the Hall of Fame.
Tomlin already has a spot in the Hall of Fame thanks to his one Super Bowl win, one other appearance and 16 straight non-losing seasons, but it might be getting stale here and time for a change.
“I know Mike Tomlin can maybe change his mind here over the final month of the season, but it, it’s a really difficult situation and it’s a huge decision for the Rooney family here in about a month or so,” Fittipaldo added regarding Tomlin’s future. “I honestly don’t know which direction it’s gonna go.”
It’s wild to think it remains up in the air right now, but that’s where the Steelers find themselves. In between a rock and a hard place. There’s no clear path out of it. They don’t have a franchise quarterback, there are holes on the roster, the culture seems like it’s in a very bad place, and the fan base is turning on Tomlin.
Sometimes, things just run their course and change is needed. We might be getting closer and closer to that moment with Tomlin and the Steelers.
