Is Mike Tomlin gone if the Steelers miss the playoffs in 2020?

After missing out on the playoffs for the last two seasons, would Mike Tomlin be shown the door if the Pittsburgh Steelers miss the postseason again in 2020?

In 2020, Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers will be attempting to avoid something that hasn’t happened to the franchise since 2000. That was the last time the Steelers missed the playoffs three years in a row.

Pittsburgh has never been on the outside of the postseason for more than two years under Tomlin. But there is a legitimate possibility of it happening for the third time in a row in 2020.

So if the Steelers do actually end up missing the playoffs again next season, would it result in the team parting ways with Tomlin? Would Pittsburgh actually consider letting go of a head coach who has led the team to eight postseason appearances and one Super Bowl win during his 13 years with the franchise?

Considering how he is only the Steelers’ third head coach since 1969, something would likely have to go significantly wrong in 2020 for the team to fire Tomlin. It would probably have to be more than just Pittsburgh missing the playoffs.

We’re talking missing the postseason, finishing with an embarrassingly-low amount of wins, and losing control of the locker room. All of this would likely have to occur if the Steelers were to make a head coaching change after next season.

But even if Pittsburgh still decides to keep him around after missing the playoffs again, Tomlin could actually be the one to end his tenure with the team.

Even though he’s had a successful run during his tenure with the Steelers, it’s possible that the head coach could either want to take a break or leave to be the head coach for another team in 2021. Tomlin has connections to teams all over the league and just about every franchise would jump at the opportunity to bring him in if word began to spread about him wanting out of Pittsburgh.

All it takes is the right offer and the right set of circumstances for something like this to happen. Not many probably think this an actual possibility at this current period in time, but a lot can change throughout the course of a season.

Despite all of the possibilities that could happen after next season though, it still seems very probable that Tomlin will continue on as the Steelers’ head coach in 2021 whether the team does or doesn’t make the playoffs in 2020.