Mike Tomlin’s 19-season tenure in Pittsburgh ended the way few expected. After a 30-6 Wild Card loss to the Houston Texans in January, the longest-tenured coach in the NFL announced his departure. With the Steelers, he recorded 193 regular-season wins, a Super Bowl win, two Super Bowl appearances, and never finished the season with a losing record.
Among the players Tomlin shaped, few carry his imprint more visibly than two-time Pro Bowl linebacker Ryan Shazier. Selected 15th overall out of Ohio State in 2014, Shazier emerged as the quarterback of Pittsburgh’s defense before a devastating spinal cord injury against the Cincinnati Bengals in December 2017 ended his career.
Ryan Shazier Speaks Up on Mike Tomlin’s Legacy in Pittsburgh
Shazier defied a 20% chance of walking again and returned to the organization as an offensive assistant under Tomlin in 2024. He now works as a Steelers Alumni Relations Assistant.
In a recent interview with Ratings, Shazier offered a thorough defense of the coach who drafted him and stood by him through the worst moment of his life.
“When you think about it, he got to two Super Bowls,” said Shazier. “He won a Super Bowl. I feel like the city of Pittsburgh has been blessed to have somebody like that. Because not every city can say every year that they play ball, that there’s a chance that they can win a Super Bowl, that they’re going to be in the playoffs, that they want to be having a winning season.”
Shazier also credited Tomlin’s ability to navigate difficult seasons and keep the team competitive even when the roster had clear limitations.
“Even when you thought that things weren’t looking good, he always found a way,” Shazier continued. “You always want to have a leader that you feel can find a way when it doesn’t seem like there’s a way.”
To replace Tomlin, the Steelers hired Pittsburgh native Mike McCarthy, who was previously the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. McCarthy’s hiring signaled that owner Art Rooney II has no interest in a rebuild.
In the offseason, the Steelers also traded for wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and drafted receiver Germie Bernard to improve their offense.
However, the Steelers still don’t have a settled quarterback situation, which separates them from every legitimate AFC contender. Aaron Rodgers, who turns 43 in December, has yet to commit to a return despite months of negotiations. If Rodgers doesn’t return, the Steelers are looking at second-year signal-caller Will Howard or the raw rookie, Drew Allar.
With quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Drake Maye, Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, and C.J. Stroud in their conference, Pittsburgh’s chances of competing with Rodgers, Allar, or Howard are significantly lower.
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McCarthy has spoken highly of Howard’s makeup, and he himself drafted Allar in the third round. But neither is ready to lead a Super Bowl contender right now, as both need time to develop, which is arguably why Tomlin’s decision to step away when he did made sense. The roster is talented enough to win games, but likely a year or two away from having the quarterback to match the rest of the AFC’s elite.
Whether McCarthy can accelerate that timeline or the Steelers will find themselves in the same competitive-but-not-dangerous territory that defined the final stretch of Tomlin’s tenure remains to be seen.
