The Pittsburgh Steelers' 2025 campaign has come to a close, opening up a flood of questions about where the franchise goes from here. For three quarters, Mike Tomlin’s team kept things competitive, which is a stark improvement from Pittsburgh’s past playoff appearances since they last won a playoff game, way back on January 7, 2017.
Despite the optical illusion of progress, the fact remains that Tomlin has now extended the franchise’s longest playoff win drought by another 12 months with the Wild Card loss to the Houston Texans.
Art Rooney II’s forthcoming decision on Tomlin’s future wasn’t made easy through the first three quarters of play. Still, he has no choice but to determine if, among the many changes coming to this team this offseason, the head coach should or should not be included.
Rooney must decide if Steelers stability is still worth the stagnation under Mike Tomlin
Tomlin’s contract extends into 2027 if the Steelers pick up his option by March 1. It would be surprising if Tomlin is retained without that option being picked up. Nonetheless, it’s among the factors Rooney will have to weigh. That is, unless Tomlin opts to walk away himself, noticing the reality of what the Steelers’ standard has become.
Another factor to consider is that, optically, Tomlin’s latest playoff blunder looks worse compared to the rest of the playoff field. This year’s Wild Card Weekend was as exhilarating as it gets. The first four games all came down to the wire, with a collective record-setting performance in the fourth quarter from the winning teams. The Steelers were the only team among them that lost by more than 13 points. They lost by nearly double, 24 points.
Then there’s Aaron Rodgers, who may have just played his final game. The team has shown public interest in retaining him if he chooses to return. But his likely indecision on playing a 22nd season puts Rooney between a rock and a hard place. Rodgers isn’t coming back without Tomlin, which means a new quarterback and coach are required if Rooney sends Tomlin on his way.
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But that’s the aspect that could prove exciting if Rooney finally calls for change. Offensive masterminds like Klint Kubiak and Mike McDaniel are available, veteran play-callers like Mike McCarthy and Kevin Stefanski are out there, too. Strike the right QB-head coach combo, and the Steelers could be set up for success for years to come.
If it is the end of Tomlin’s time, Steelers fans can delight in the good memories, as there were plenty. But the purgatory state the franchise has been in for nearly a decade isn’t ending without Rooney making the call to end Tomlin’s time in Pittsburgh.