Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin Announces He's Stepping Down
The Mike Tomlin Era is over in Pittsburgh. Following Monday night's playoff loss to the Houston Texans, Tomlin is stepping down as head coach of the Steelers after 19 seasons.
According to multiple reports, Tomlin informed the Steelers he was leaving the organization and getting away from coaching, at least for the time being. Pittsburgh is now looking for just its fourth head coach since 1969.
An incredible run comes to a close
Hired by the Steelers following the 2006 season after a one-year stint as defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, Tomlin went 193-114-2 in the regular season as head coach.
He won Super Bowl XLIII in his second season, leading Pittsburgh past the Arizona Cardinals. Two years later, he got the Steelers back to the big game, where they fell to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV.
Since then, Tomlin's ack of postseason success was a sore spot for many Pittsburgh fans. The Steelers went just 3-10 in the playoffs in Tomlin's final 15 years at the helm, including seven-straight defeats, starting from the 2017 AFC Championship Game through last night's 30-6 loss to Houston.
However, Pittsburgh never posted a losing campaign under Tomlin's watch, and made the playoffs 13 times in his 19 seasons. In that regard, he was a model of consistency for a franchise that prides itself on it.
What's next for Tomlin, Steelers?
As we said above, the Steelers thrive on consistency. The franchise has only had three head coaches--Tomlin, Bill Cowher and Chuck Noll--over the last 57 seasons.
Whoever Pittsburgh targets as its next head coach, they will be inherit a roster that has question marks and likely needs some rebuilding, but also join an organization that will allow them the time to turn things around. Expect this opening to draw a lot of attention on the coaching market, and also figure the Steelers are going to be very deliberate about who they target.
As for Tomlin, 53, he's leaving coaching for now, but that doesn't mean forever. However, the Steelers own his rights for the next two seasons, meaning if a team wants to hire the future Hall of Famer, they will owe Pittsburgh compensation.