The Pittsburgh Steelers looked great to begin the 2024 season. They once held a 10-3 record, and a multiple-game lead in the race for the division title. Then, Mike Tomlin’s team came crashing down. The Steelers lost their last four regular-season games and crashed out of the first round of the playoffs.
As soon as the 2024 schedule was released, we knew things would be difficult toward the end of the year. Still, according to Mark Kaboly, Tomlin admitted Monday at the NFL owners meetings that his squad wasn’t at the same caliber as its late-season opponents.
“We played some elite teams, and we weren’t one of them,” Tomlin said. “That’s just the sober truth of this business. It’s hard, but it’s fair. And that’s what I love about it. You work all year in an effort to be moving at the right trajectory at the significant point of the year. And the reality of 2024 for us was, as the road got narrow, we were not one of the elites. And thankfully for us, we played the elites.”
Unfortunately, that quote can summarize the Steelers for most of the last decade. Last year was a cruel reminder of that because the Steelers actually looked like a contender, and to Tomlin’s credit, he did have them on the “right trajectory” heading into the second half of the season. However, virtually every aspect of his roster faltered as the year came to a close.
Things didn’t go the Steelers’ way to end last season, and in some aspects they didn’t go the way they wanted to begin the offseason either. Tomlin spoke about how things didn’t work out in the Steelers’ hopes of bringing back either Justin Fields or Russell Wilson. Now he hopes to move on to Aaron Rodgers, who can hopefully turn the Steelers’ playoff fortunes around.
We’re heading into a massive 2025 season. To their credit, the Steelers have moved in different fashion this offseason. Trading for DK Metcalf and then extending him on a massive contract is a move that feels unlike what Pittsburgh is used to doing. Tomlin’s also been open to adding to the coaching staff. That’s another recent change in philosophy. The Steelers have always had one of the smallest staffs in all of football.
The Steelers are doing things differently. They know something has to change. Mike Tomlin knows the Steelers aren’t one of the “elites,” but with their moves this offseason, he hopes to get them there.
