PITTSBURGH — The Mike Tomlin era in Pittsburgh is over.
The longest-serving coach in major American professional sports resigned from his position leading the Steelers on Tuesday after another quick exit from the playoffs.
The announcement came one day after the end of his 19th season in Pittsburgh, where he was a relative unknown when he was hired to replace Bill Cowher in early 2007.
“Obviously, I am extremely grateful to Mike for all the hard work, dedication and success we have shared over the past 19 years. It is difficult for me to put into words the level of respect and admiration I have for Coach Tomlin,” Steelers President Art Rooney said in a statement. “He led 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 repeated.”
Tomlin won one Super Bowl and went to another during his first four seasons in Pittsburgh before the club settled into a pattern of solid, if not always spectacular, play followed by a playoff run that ended with the Steelers on the wrong side of the blowout.
The 53-year-old Tomlin won 193 regular-season games in Pittsburgh, tied with Hall of Famer Chuck Noll for the most wins in franchise history. But their resumes varied when it came to the playoffs. While Noll won four Super Bowls in the 1970s, Tomlin went just 8-12 in the postseason, losing each of his final seven games in the playoffs, all by double-digit margins.
The last game came on Monday night, when the AFC North champion squandered some early momentum before losing 30-6 to Houston, the most lopsided home loss in team history.
There were chants of “Tomlin’s fire!” As the clock ticked down to zero, though, they weren’t nearly as fired up as they were in late November as Buffalo pressured the Steelers in a loss that dropped their record to 6-6.
Tomlin, as is his way, did his best to tune out the noise and his team responded, as they always seem to have during his tenure. Pittsburgh has won four of its last five games, including a sweep of Baltimore that gave the club its first AFC North title since 2020.
But optimism waned as the Texans proved themselves. The NFL’s top-rated defense stifled Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh’s offense while the league’s highest-paid defense faded late.
It was a familiar and frustrating pattern for a place where, as Tomlin noted shortly after his introduction, “the standard is the standard.”
While that is still the case for a team whose members pass six Lombardi Trophies every day on their way to work, results have stabilized. The Steelers finished with 9 or 10 wins in each of Tomlin’s last five seasons, often doing just enough to qualify for the playoffs before getting blown away by a more talented opponent.
Tomlin had two years remaining on the contract extension he signed in 2024, with a club option for 2027.
His departure leaves the Steelers searching for a head coach for only the third time since they hired Noll in 1969.
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