Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin resigned on Tuesday in the wake of his team’s NFL playoff exit, bringing the curtain down on a 19-year reign that made him the longest-serving head coach in the league. A statement from Steelers president Art Rooney said Tomlin, who had two years remaining on his contract, had elected to step down following the team’s 30-6 wild card loss to the Houston Texans on Monday.
Tomlin, 53, led the Steelers to a Super Bowl championship in 2009 and never had a losing season in his nearly two-decade stint in Pittsburgh, a feat Rooney said would likely never be repeated. “During our meeting today, coach Tomlin informed me that he has decided to step down as our head coach,” Steelers chief Rooney said in a statement. “Obviously I am extremely grateful to Mike for all the hard work, dedication and success we have shared over the last 19 years.”
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He guided the franchise to our sixth Super Bowl championship and made the playoffs 13 times during his tenure, including winning the AFC North eight times in his career. His track record of never having a losing season in 19 years will likely never be duplicated.
A somber Tomlin had brushed off questions about his future in the immediate aftermath of Monday’s playoff exit after seeing his team dismantled by Houston’s rampant defense. “I’m not even in that mindset as I sit here tonight,” Tomlin said after the loss, the Steelers’ fifth loss in the first round of the playoffs since the 2020-2021 season. “I’m more in the mindset of what transpired in this stadium and certainly what we did and didn’t do. Not a big-picture mentality as I sit here tonight.”
In demand, Tomlin also received a staunch defense from the Steelers’ veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who took aim at any suggestions that the Pittsburgh coach’s position should be in jeopardy. “Mike (Tomlin) has had more success than damn near anybody in the league for the last 19–20 years,” Rodgers said. “And more than that though, when you have the right guy and the culture is right, you don’t think about making a change.”
Reports earlier this month said Tomlin was mulling taking a year off from coaching in the 2026-2027 campaign and would consider returning to the sport after a break. His record is likely to place him in high demand for several of the recent head coaching vacancies that have emerged since the end of the regular season, although since he is still under contract, any move to a different team would have to receive approval from the Steelers. Six teams — the Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens, Arizona Cardinals, Las Vegas Raiders, Cleveland Browns, and Atlanta Falcons — have sacked their head coach since the regular season concluded earlier this month.
Tomlin joined Pittsburgh in 2007. He became known for building teams that blended an uncompromising physicality with offensive flair, notably during the era of the Steelers’ iconic quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He was just 36 when he won the Super Bowl in 2008-2009, making him the youngest head coach to win the NFL title at that time. He led the Steelers back to the Super Bowl a year later, but they lost to a Green Bay Packers side led by Rodgers. Despite that impressive start to his reign in Pittsburgh, he never managed to take the Steelers back to the Super Bowl.
© 2024 AFP
