The Pittsburgh Steelers are a rarity in the sports world. They are known for loyalty, a virtue rarely seen anymore. That extends to head coach Mike Tomlin in numerous ways. One such way is how loyal the organization is to Tomlin.
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport says that Tomlin will be the head coach of the Steelers as long as he wants. That speaks to the faith team president Art Rooney II and company have in Tomlin. But Tomlin has shown that he possesses plenty of loyalty as well. He cares for his players at a level rarely seen in the NFL.
Sometimes Tomlin’s loyalty can be a hindrance, too. We saw that during former offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s tenure in Pittsburgh. Some will argue that Tomlin was too loyal to former QB Kenny Pickett as well. Will that loyalty show up in the quarterback competition between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields?
“I think Russell would win you more games than Justin Fields, I absolutely believe that,” Colin Cowherd said on Monday’s episode of the Herd. “But remember, you go on a two-game losing streak, and Tomlin got criticized for being overly loyal to Kenny Pickett. So he may not be quite as loyal to Russell Wilson. Justin’s going to be able to show off in practice. Bigger, stronger, faster, more athletic, younger, more relatable to a lot of the young teammates.”
Tomlin also showed that his loyalty has a limit. Whether it was due to outside factors or Tomlin simply deciding enough was enough, he relieved Canada of his duties midseason in 2023. A midseason coaching change like that simply doesn’t happen in Pittsburgh.
And speaking of Pickett, Tomlin’s hand was forced initially when the 2022 first-round draft pick was injured in the Steelers’ Week 13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Tomlin had to start a different quarterback. However, once Pickett was healthy, Tomlin still rolled with QB Mason Rudolph, who helped engineer a three-game winning streak. Pickett never saw the field again in a Steelers uniform.
Similarly, Tomlin has been preferential toward Wilson ever since he signed with the Steelers. It makes sense. Wilson is a Super Bowl-winning quarterback and is an established winner in the NFL. Pickett hadn’t proven anything in the NFL at that point.
And once the Steelers traded Pickett and then acquired Fields, the situation hadn’t changed dramatically. Yes, Fields is everything Cowherd said. But that doesn’t discount that Wilson has won a lot of football games in his career. So it makes sense that Tomlin would still prefer Wilson.
But at this stage of his career, Wilson has dropped off. He’s not the athlete he once was. If Fields can show off during training camp, the preseason, and even in practice during the season, that could push Tomlin to make a change if the team starts losing games.
The pressure is on Tomlin to guide the Steelers to their first playoff win since 2016. He can’t afford to let misplaced loyalty put that in jeopardy.
