In a shocking development, longtime Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has stepped down from his post with the club. Many thought he'd be fired, but the Super Bowl XLIII champion let himself out rather than being shown the door.
Who knows what comes next for Tomlin and the Steelers? Both sides are fresh off picking up a seventh straight playoff loss together and still coming to grips with their new reality. However, recent intel indicates they may be more prepared for their breakup than we think.
ESPN's Adam Schefter appeared on SportsCenter to discuss Tomlin's decision in real time on live television and provided some interesting and noteworthy details.
Adam Schefter suggests that Mike Tomlin's Pittsburgh Steelers exit was premeditated
Schefter expressed that this outcome was brewing for a while. By the sound of it, Tomlin had been mulling his future well before the Steelers' demoralizing 30-6 Wild Card loss to the Houston Texans:
"This clearly is something that has been on [Tomlin's] mind for quite some time," Schefter said. "There were people who I've spoken with who were with him over the summer that sensed it was going to be his last season; it built up. You don't lose the game [to the Texans] last night, call a team meeting for 2 o'clock [the next day] to inform your team that you're stepping aside ... without being fully convicted on this."
There's a lot to unpack here, though the moral of the story is that Tomlin thought about this move before making it. Calling for a team meeting not even 24 hours after the Steelers' defeat to the Texans was telling. He was apparently considering removing himself from the picture in Pittsburgh ahead of the 2025 NFL campaign, per Schefter.
This certainly sheds new light on Tomlin's choice to leave the Steelers on his own accord. He ostensibly wasn't trying to save face by beating Pittsburgh to the punch of letting him go. The 53-year-old put serious thought into a conclusion that sent shockwaves across the league.
It's hard to blame Tomlin for wanting to put the constant hot-seat chatter behind him. Despite being one of football's most respected leaders, Steeler Nation has been calling for Tomlin's job for what feels like forever. Schefter added that the negative fan sentiment may have been a factor in this seemingly not-so-sudden decision.
"Mike Tomlin is essentially coveted everywhere -- except in the city where he was working for 19 years," Schefter stated.