Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II addressed the media the day after the team's longtime head coach, Mike Tomlin, decided to step down. There were plenty of notable takeaways, but perhaps none greater than what comes next for one of the NFL's most storied franchises.
It's been nearly two decades since the Steelers had to hire a sideline general, which ultimately turned out to be Tomlin. Filling his legendary shoes has suddenly become their No. 1 offseason priority, leaving many wondering who will step in. Pittsburgh figures to undergo an extensive search to replace him, though Rooney is ostensibly starting by using the process of elimination.
During his press conference, Rooney made it quite clear that none of the Steelers' current in-house options are under consideration to take over for Tomlin.
Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II shuts down the idea of an in-house Mike Tomlin replacement
Of course, the Steelers are still in the very early stages of life without Tomlin. As Rooney expressed, it's an emotional time for the franchise and fan base, so maybe things change once cooler heads prevail. Be that as it may, the latter didn't mince words when asked if Pittsburgh would look inward for its next leader:
"Right now, I don't think that anybody on our staff is a candidate [to replace Tomlin]".
Talk about a blunt assessment of the situation. None of Tomlin's subordinates has seemingly shown enough to take his place, at least in Rooney's eyes. By the sound of it, Pittsburgh will exclusively explore external options.
Rooney couldn't even guarantee that members of Tomlin's staff will stick around when the new coach comes along. That includes Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who's garnering interest for other head coaching vacancies around the league.
While this isn't how they expected it to happen, Rooney appears set to grant Steeler Nation's wish. Supporters of the club have been clamoring for a fresh start for what feels like an eternity. Bringing in someone without ties to Tomlin is the first step toward ushering in a new era of Pittsburgh football.
Time will tell whether Rooney's comments prove true, though he's already begun to walk the talk. They've reportedly already requested to interview the Los Angeles Rams' passing game and defensive coordinators, Nate Scheelhaase and Chris Shula, respectively, as well as a few others.