After 19 years, Mike Tomlin is no longer the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. A day after being eliminated in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs, Tomlin made the decision to step down as the team’s head coach. Shortly after the announcement of this decision, the legendary coach issued a statement through the team where he called leading the “an absolute honor.”
Tomlin emphasized that the Steelers and the city of Pittsburgh are a huge part of his life, and entities that he will always have love and respect for. He made sure to thank the Rooney family, all of the players and coaches he led throughout his time, and Steelers Nation, shouting out the fans’ “passion, loyalty, and high expectations.”
Statement from Mike Tomlin: pic.twitter.com/66O3ktES2m
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) January 13, 2026
Mike Tomlin says his love for the Pittsburgh Steelers will never change
His Pittsburgh tenure comes to a close after 19 seasons, during which he notably never had a losing season. Tomlin, who has only ever been a head coach for the Steelers, steps down with a 193-114-2 record. He led Pittsburgh to the playoffs 13 times, picking up an 8-12 postseason record, and a Super Bowl win in 2008.
While Tomlin became the model of stability and navigated all types of storms for the franchise, the Steelers haven’t won more than 10 games in a season in six years, and Tomlin’s last playoff win came in 2016, going 0-7 in his last seven postseason trips. That’s why his future with the franchise started to become a discussion in recent years. Ultimately, he decided to step down after another first-round exit.
Now, he turns his attention to a future that everyone is observing. The charismatic and respected coach has a television spot waiting for him on any network, and he’d certainly be able to land another coaching job if he were interested. Tomlin turns 54 in March, so he could have a whole other chapter in his coaching career at a different location.
While he figures his future out, the Steelers will have to do something they rarely do, but also something they’re incredibly successful at: hire a coach. Pittsburgh has notably only had three head coaches since 1969: Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, and Mike Tomlin. All three were home-run hires, and the franchise is now stepping up to the plate again, hoping to go 4-for-4.