The Pittsburgh Steelers’ recent track record has been a true paradox. Year after year, the franchise finds itself in a spot where it’s not bad enough to land a high draft pick and begin a full rebuild but also not good enough to seriously contend for a Super Bowl alongside the AFC’s powerhouses.
At the center of this is Mike Tomlin, the legendary Steelers head coach who hasn’t had a losing season in his 18 years with the team, yet hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016. Former player and current analyst Ryan Clark shared his take on what he believes is the best path forward for Tomlin to break out of this cycle.
Should Mike Tomlin Leave the Pittsburgh Steelers?
Tomlin became the Steelers’ head coach in 2007, taking over a franchise coming off a down year but one that had won a Super Bowl just two seasons earlier against the Seattle Seahawks. With a defensive mindset, he embodied Pittsburgh’s identity and found success right away.
His peak came in just his second year, when he led the team to a Super Bowl win over the Arizona Cardinals, a game in which Clark was on the field as the team’s safety. Knowing the coach well, Clark said that while Tomlin’s time in Pittsburgh may be nearing its end, any decision to move on needs to come from Tomlin himself.
Steelers Super Bowl champ Ryan Clark on Mike Tomlin: “I believe his voice has run stale in Pittsburgh.” Thinks Tomlin would be better off somewhere else. Every Steelers fan should watch this.pic.twitter.com/LmZz5CyTyI
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress)
Since 2016, the Steelers haven’t won a single postseason game. In their three appearances, the message was clear: Decisive losses to three of the AFC’s current powerhouses — the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens. In those games, it became evident that the level of competition had surpassed what the Steelers were bringing to the table, and Tomlin appeared to be out of answers.
“To me, the most telling piece about those games is the deficits that they faced in all of those playoff games,” Clark said. “So what is that? Is that not being prepared? Is that not being talented enough? They have to find the answer and I always and I say this and people get mad at me. I believe that Mike Tomlin is unfireable. I believe if Mike Tomlin steps away from being the coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers that that should be his decision.”
It’s a complex situation because, while it feels like the Steelers have hit their ceiling, Tomlin is still doing his best with the roster he has. The core issue is that since Ben Roethlisberger’s departure, Pittsburgh hasn’t found a quarterback who brings real upside to the system, and as a result, the team runs out of steam in the playoffs.
“I believe Mike Tomlin should coach in another organization. Mike Tomlin should be a fresh voice somewhere else because I believe, as great as a coach he is, and he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer, I believe his voice has run stale there. I believe he’s allowed that team to reach the highest of heights they’re going to reach, unless they can get a top-tier quarterback,” Clark added.
For that decision to be made, the Steelers would need to embrace a full rebuild, a move that would likely impact the team’s record for a season or two. However, if it meant renewing their chances at a championship, it’s a path the franchise should seriously consider.
The head coach signed a contract extension with the franchise during the 2024 offseason, keeping him under contract through the 2027 season. With no clear starting quarterback for 2025 and the looming presence of Aaron Rodgers in the division, expectations are low, but if there’s one thing we’ve learned in recent years, it’s that Tomlin always finds a way to squeeze every last drop of success out of his teams.