A couple of days ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach, Mike Tomlin, made the shocking decision to step down following the team’s 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round. The reactions from fans and players alike have drawn a lot of interest on social media, including QB Aaron Rodgers.
How Did J.J. Watt React to the Leaked Emotional Moment Between Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin?
The unexpected departure left many NFL fans, including players, shocked. A leaked moment of Rodgers with the coach following the news led to a social media response from J.J. Watt.
Earlier today, a post was made on social media regarding Rodgers’ and Tomlin’s moment together following the news. The post says the following, “Great reporting from Mike DeFabo in The Athletic. Aaron Rodgers was reportedly sobbing when Tomlin quit. And kept apologizing to him non-stop. Very interesting.”
Great reporting from Mike DeFabo in The Athletic. Aaron Rodgers was reportedly sobbing when Tomlin quit. And kept apologizing to him non-stop. Very interesting. pic.twitter.com/tL1myFH7Qn
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) January 15, 2026
On the ManningCast Monday night, J.J. Watt announced that he’d be rooting for the Steelers instead of his previous team (Texans) because of his brother, T.J. Watt. The following post above elicited a response from Watt, who said, “Feels like this moment could’ve stayed in the meeting room.”
Feels like this moment could have stayed in the meeting room. https://t.co/9QsQroQFZE
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) January 15, 2026
Watt is right. This moment was clearly meant only for Tomlin and Rodgers, not for the rest of the NFL fans. However, it says a lot about the character of Tomlin and Rodgers alike.
Tomlin meant a lot not only to the city of Pittsburgh but also to the NFL, where he was recognized as one of the best coaches. Considering he was with the franchise for 19 years, it’s more emotional because many fans grew up with him, and now the idea of him not being there feels bizarre.
Over his career, Tomlin coached the Steelers in 309 regular-season games. Over that period, the team went 193-114-2 for a .628 winning percentage. More notably, the team had never had a losing record under Tomlin, with its worst record being 8-8, which occurred in three seasons.
However, his team struggled to win playoff games despite winning the Super Bowl in the 2008-2009 season. Over 20 playoff games, the team went 8-12 and has unfortunately lost its last seven games.
Last offseason, Rodgers signed a one-year contract with the Steelers for $13,650,000, making him a free agent. It’s uncertain what Rodgers wants to do in the future; does he want to keep playing? If he does, will he stay with the Steelers despite Tomlin’s departure?
People can say what they want about Rodgers, but his reaction to Tomlin’s departure speaks not only of how important he was to the Steelers but to the NFL as a whole.
