He signed a lucrative contract extension last summer tying himself to the Pittsburgh Steelers for three more seasons, and yet despite the significant extension that made him one of the highest-paid NFL coaches, Mike Tomlin finds himself potentially on the hot seat entering the 2025 season.
Pro Football Focus has Tomlin as one of 10 head coaches on the hot seat entering the upcoming season, joining Miami’s Mike McDaniel, Atlanta’s Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay’s Todd Bowles, and Cincinnati’s Zac Taylor among others.
Of course, that contract extension, which was worth roughly $50 million, means Tomlin won’t be going anywhere. But due to the lack of playoff success in the last decade and the continued struggles at the quarterback position and late-season collapses from the highest-paid defense in the NFL has many putting Tomlin on the hot seat.
That includes PFF’s Bradley Locker.
“The Steelers have amassed a 38-29-1 record over the past four years but haven’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season, which is a staggering amount of time considering the talent they’ve had in that span and how many opportunities the organization has had to change that,” PFF’s Locker writes regarding Tomlin on the hot seat. “Since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement, Pittsburgh has mostly been handicapped by subpar quarterback play, cycling through motley options — even in 2025. Another complicating factor is a high-paid defense that underwhelmed in 2024, sitting 18th in EPA per play and 30th in success rate from Week 10 onward.
“Tomlin’s poor timeout management, questionable late-down decision making, challenge indiscretions and roster building all warrant criticism.”
Though the Steelers are still in a transition phase following Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement after the 2021 season, they have remained competitive under Tomlin, finding themselves in meaningful games year after year. They’ve reached the playoffs twice since Roethlisberger retired, too.
The biggest issue though is the lack of playoff success in that time. Heck, those issues with Tomlin date back to when Roethlisberger was at the height of his powers, too, as the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016. They’ve gone one and done in five straight trips.
And while they remain competitive every year, they play an ugly brand of football with conservative offense while leaning heavily on defense in an offensive-driven league. It goes against conventional wisdom, and it’s led to a great deal of criticism as the Steelers have tried to patchwork the quarterback position together in recent years, going through the likes of Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, Justin Fields and Russell Wilson.
Now, they find themselves waiting for a decision from 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers, which has generated even further criticism of Tomlin and the way he’s handled the quarterback position in recent years.
If things go sideways with Rodgers this season, assuming he signs, the blame will fall on Tomlin as this is seemingly the path he chose to go down for the Steelers in 2025. The Steelers, for better or worse, have to find a way to get over the hump this season and win a playoff game. They are targeting Rodgers due to his ability to win now, rather than going with a young quarterback to try and develop due to the age and the window of the core group, particularly on defense.
“If Tomlin and Pittsburgh fail to win a playoff contest yet again, Steelers fans’ complaints will only grow louder, prompting discussion about whether it’s time to move on from one of the league’s most well-respected leaders,” Locker added regarding Tomlin.
The noise was pretty loud this offseason. There was speculation about a trade, which saw one team check in with the Steelers about Tomlin. However, the conversation never reached Tomlin because the Steelers have no interest in moving on from him.
Former Steelers safety and ESPN analyst Ryan Clark has made multiple pleas for Tomlin to leave on his own accord and chase a championship elsewhere, similar to the path of current Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. Even other media personalities felt that Tomlin should move on because the Steelers aren’t offering him the best chance to win due to the quarterback position.
But Tomlin has no interest, firmly planting his flag in Pittsburgh once again. He has a significant financial obligation from the team that will hold tie with the Steelers for the foreseeable future. The Rooney family has no interest in moving off him.
That won’t stop the media from making a great deal of noise regarding Tomlin, should the Steelers struggle and fail in 2025.
