Fan approval of Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin may have never been lower than it is right now. But Tomlin continues to receive support from Steelers owner Art Rooney II.
Rooney expressed his approval of Tomlin while meeting with reporters on January 27. Rooney explained that Tomlin’s prior success gives him confidence that he should remain the Steelers head coach.
“I think when you look at how many games Mike [Tomlin] has won in this league, you don’t win that many games if you’re not a good coach,” Rooney said, via Steelers Depot. “And I know he’s frustrated like we all are in terms of not being able to take that next step, but we still feel good about him being the leader and still think he has the strengths that he always had in terms of being able to lead a team.
“So, the other side of the coin is, when you look at the fact that we have six, seven, eight teams a year that turn their coaches over, it’s when you have a good coach, you just try to keep building with them.”
Tomlin has amassed an 183-107-2 regular season record as Steelers head coach. He’s famously never suffered a losing season in 18 years. With 11 more victories, Tomlin will move past Chuck Noll as winningest head coach in Steelers history.
But Tomlin has lost six straight postseason games to fall to 8-12 in the playoffs. Noll went 16-8 in the postseason as Steelers head coach. Tomlin’s predecessor, Bill Cowher, was 12-9 in the playoffs.
Art Rooney II Addresses Mike Tomlin’s Job Status
No team has more Super Bowl victories than the Steelers. But Pittsburgh is arguably more well known for their continuity at head coach.
The Steelers have had three head coaches in the last 56 seasons. Tomlin is the longest tenured head coach in the NFL, having just completed his 18th season.
Rooney hinted on January 27 about that continuity being a factor in keeping Tomlin despite his lack of recent playoff success.
“When you got a good coach, you try to keep him in place,” Rooney said, via The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac. “When I talk to the players, they still want to play for Mike.”
Tomlin’s job status has come into question the past two Decembers because of losing streaks. In December 2023, the Steelers dropped three straight but then won their final three games to finish 10-7 and earn a playoff berth.
The Steelers started the 2024 campaign 10-3. But they again finished 10-7 after a four-game skid to end the regular season. The Steelers then suffered an embarrassing 28-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC wild card round.
Pittsburgh hasn’t won a playoff game since January 2017. That eight-year drought is the longest the organization has gone without a postseason victory since the team’s first playoff win in 1972.
Steelers Making Coaching Changes Before 2025 NFL Season?
Tomlin stressed that there would likely be significant changes with the franchise this offseason. But Tomlin didn’t specify where those changes would occur.
Rooney seemed to suggest on January 27 that if the Steelers do make significant changes this offseason, it won’t be with the coaching staff.
“I don’t expect wholesale changes, but I think there are going to be a couple changes,” said Rooney.
The Steelers owner added that the team is still in the process of evaluating the coaches that are under contract for 2025. Dulac wrote that includes offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and offensive line coach Pat Meyer.
All three received criticism from fans during the team’s five-game losing streak to end the season.
