The future of the Pittsburgh Steelers feels oddly unclear for a franchise that just survived, thrived, and punched its postseason ticket. Yes, the nail-biting 26–24 victory over the Baltimore Ravens was sweet. And sure, securing the franchise’s first playoff berth since 2023 felt even sweeter. But the conversations surrounding Mike Tomlin’s future remain bitter, lingering in a way that simply does not exist for most head coaches with 19 consecutive winning seasons.
That’s the strange reality of being Mike Tomlin.
No matter what he accomplishes, his seat is always described as “warm.” Every season carries an unspoken referendum. Win, and the praise is cautious. Lose, and the noise grows deafening. Yet this year, as Black Monday swept through the NFL and coaches across the league were packing up their offices, Tomlin stood in rare air.
Raheem Morris. Kevin Stefanski. Pete Carroll. Jonathan Gannon. All gone. All casualties of a league that rarely offers patience. Watching those names scroll across the screen made me pause and ask a simple question: What does Mike Tomlin have in common with this group?
The answer is almost nothing.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are foolish to consider firing Mike Tomlin after the 2025 season
Tomlin is the only coach among that list who guided his team to playoff aspirations this season. He's tied with Chuck Noll for the most wins as a Head Coach in franchise history (193). And unlike many of his peers, his players don’t sound relieved when the season ends — they sound empowered.
"He just empowers every single person on this team" Calvin Austin III told reporters Sunday night.
If you had asked me five weeks ago, I might have argued that Tomlin was losing his grip on the locker room. The Steelers looked fractured. Discipline felt optional. Execution wavered. It felt fair to wonder whether his voice was growing stale. But Sunday night against the Ravens changed that narrative completely.
That performance wasn’t perfect. It was gritty, chaotic, emotional — everything a Steelers-Ravens game is supposed to be. But what stood out most wasn’t the final score. It was the body language. The belief. The way players responded when their backs were against the wall. And if you listened closely to the postgame interviews, you heard something unmistakable: unwavering trust in their head coach.
"Thank you for bringing me here," Aaron Rodgers told his Head Coach at midfield minutes after the final regular-season whistle signaled.
It's obvious, Mike Tomlin is the battery that keeps this franchise running.
When players speak about him, it’s not coach-speak. It’s respect. It’s loyalty. It’s conviction. That’s not something you fake in January football, especially in a win-or-go-home scenario. Coaches who lose locker rooms don’t get that kind of response. Coaches on the verge of being fired don’t inspire that level of buy-in.
That’s why the endorsements Tomlin receives matter. League executives, former players, and current Steelers all seem to understand what some fans still wrestle with: stability is not weakness. Consistency is not complacency. And winning, even when it’s uncomfortable, still counts.
Ironically, if Mike Tomlin were ever removed from Pittsburgh, I wouldn’t be surprised if success followed him immediately. That alone should tell you everything you need to know. In a league that burns through coaches annually, Tomlin isn’t surviving — he’s enduring. And that’s something no hot-seat narrative can erase.