In a secretive one-on-one interview with announcer Rob King, Pittsburgh Steelers owner and team president Art Rooney II addressed the state of the franchise entering the 2025 offseason. After going eight straight seasons without so much as a playoff win to show for, we expected change to occur. Real change.
This won't be the case. Though the Steelers could revamp their roster through free agency and the NFL Draft, Rooney II shut down the idea of overhauling the coaching staff while essentially declining to look for improvements at the quarterback position. Based on Rooney II's responses, here are the five biggest mistakes he's making with the team in 2025.
1. Not learning from Kenny Pickett mistake
When asked if he had learned anything from the decision to draft Kenny Pickett, Rooney II was adamant that they had not. This is beyond concerning. Pickett was a prospect riddled with red flags—from having just one year of good college production in five seasons to being a 24-year-old player with modest tools to having historically small hands (8 1/2'' at the 2022 NFL Combine).
Instead of saying something as simple as 'the team needs to take more precautions during the evaluation process', Rooney had learned nothing from this experience. The team essentially burned a first-round pick on a bad quarterback, and not learning from this mistake could lead to a similar fiasco in the near future.
2. Giving a pass to Mike Tomlin
Can someone please explain why Mike Tomlin gets a free pass with Art Rooney II? Not only did Rooney II avoid putting pressure on the long-time head coach, but he also praised Tomlin for 'how many games' he had won in this league.
At some point, winning regular season games no longer matters. The Steelers made a mistake by giving Tomlin an extension last offseason instead of putting him under the microscope. After losing five straight games to close out the year, it's clear that Rooney II believes Tomlin can do no wrong.
3. Refusing to increase size of coaching staff
One thing Rooney II was asked about was potentially increasing the size of the league's smallest coaching staff, which he quickly brushed off. The Steelers team president doesn't believe that the size of the coaching staff has anything to do with the lack of postseason success.
The Steelers had just 18 on-field coaches in 2024 while the last four teams in the playoff race had anywhere between 20-23 coaches on staff. This old-school mentality of getting by with the barebones minimum won't work in the modern era.
4. Committing to Teryl Austin
Other than the fact that Teryl Austin has a year remaining on his contract, we can't think of a reasonable explanation as to why the Steelers defensive coordinator is returning for another season in 2025. In the season finale, Austin forced cornerback Cory Trice Jr. to be on an island with triple-crown wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase.
The following week in the playoffs, Austin deployed his nickel defense half the game as the Ravens frequently used six offensive linemen and a 300-pound fullback to pave the way for 245-pound running back Derrick Henry. The Steelers allowed 299 rushing yards in their early exit from the postseason.
Austin's lack of creativity to generate pressure with stunts and blitzes and the fact that he couldn't find a way to help T.J. Watt were fireable offenses by themselves. Yet Rooney II said there won't be coordinator changes. The Steelers will run it back with the same coaching staff and hope for better results.
5. Lobbying for Russell Wilson to return
At some point, ownership needs to swallow their pride and admit they made a mistake. At the time, pulling the rug out from under Justin Fields felt like the right choice as Russell Wilson started off strong, but Wilson quickly showed his true colors as the quarterback the Broncos paid to go away.,
Wilson led his team to an 0-5 record in their final five games of the year (including playoffs) while averaging just 14 points per game during this stretch. Now Rooney II is leaving the door wide open for one of Wilson or Fields to return—preferably on a multi-year deal.
If Wilson wasn't enough for this team at 36 years old on a veteran minimum deal, what makes Rooney II and the Steelers think he's going to be good enough at age 37 and beyond when he's making significantly more money? Lobbying for Wilson to return was a mistake.