It's official -- The Mike Tomlin era is over for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was announced on Tuesday afternoon, not even 24 hours after the Steelers were demolished by the Texans in the AFC Wild Card Round, that Tomlin is stepping away from the organization after 19 seasons.
Nineteen seasons is a long time together, and it was clear, especially after that beatdown by the Texans, that it was time for some new blood in the Steel City. The Steelers might have won a Super Bowl early on in Tomlin's tenure, but they haven't won a playoff game since the 2016 season, and that's just not going to fly anymore.
Something that needs to be made crystal clear, however, is that Tomlin was not fired by the Steelers. He's taking some time away from coaching, and then, if he decides he's ready to come back, he'd be someone Pittsburgh could trade to a team looking to bring him in.
Pittsburgh Steelers can benefit greatly from Mike Tomlin stepping away
This is precisely how things went down for Sean Payton when he shockingly stepped away from the New Orleans Saints following the 2021 season. He wasn't fired, just decided he wanted some time away from coaching, and then, one year later, when he was ready to get back into coaching, the Saints traded his rights to the Broncos.
This worked out about as well as it could for the Steelers. Now, not only is Tomlin on his way out, but if Tomlin decides he wants to return to coaching in a year or two or however long, the Steelers can get some draft picks out of it. Maybe it doesn't turn out as well as it has for the Broncos, who traded for Payton in 2023 and now, three years into his coaching tenure, are the number one-seed in the AFC, but there's at least a blueprint to follow.
The Steelers needed a change, and now they have a big one underway. Tomlin's name will continue to be tied to the organization, though, until he's either traded or officially says he's retired from coaching.
In other words, we haven't heard the last of Tomlin yet. For now, though, Steelers fans can at least exhale and embrace the team's first head coach search in nearly two decades.