Mike Tomlin brought a sudden end to another era in the storied history of the Pittsburgh Steelers, informing the team on Tuesday that he is stepping down as head coach after 19 seasons.
Tomlin’s Steelers were eliminated from the playoffs in the wild-card round on Monday night in a 30-6 home loss to the Houston Texans. While Tomlin led Pittsburgh to another AFC North title and yet another playoff berth during the 2025 season, Monday night’s blowout elimination was Tomlin’s seventh straight playoff loss with the Steelers, which tied an infamous NFL record held by Marvin Lewis.
The 53-year-old Tomlin was the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL, which symbolizes the head coaching stability that the Steelers have long been known for. Tomlin was Pittsburgh’s 3rd head coach since Chuck Noll was hired way back in 1969, with only Bill Cowher coming between Noll’s storied era and the Tomlin era that ended Tuesday.
Steelers President Art Rooney II put out this statement of appreciation on Tomlin’s time in Pittsburgh:
Tomlin’s successful 19-season run as Steelers head coach included a Super Bowl title following the 2008 season. But that was 17 seasons ago, and a passionate, demanding fan base that expects the best had grown impatient with Tomlin long before Monday night’s latest playoff loss.
The future for Tomlin was unknown in the aftermath of the stinging loss, but Tomlin put all of those questions to bed on Tuesday by removing himself from the situation.
And now, for the first time in a very long time, the franchise that hardly ever changes head coaches is looking for a new head coach.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
