A bold truth first: the Steelers may be near a crossroads, and the question isn’t just about a season’s record—it’s about what kind of franchise they want to be for the long haul. Here’s the rewritten take on whether it’s time for a change with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin.
Mike Tomlin took the helm in Pittsburgh in 2007, and after nineteen years he’s still on the sideline. If you haven’t heard, he’s never logged a losing season. If you haven’t heard this either, he hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season. Put differently: if a postseason victory doesn’t arrive this year, Tomlin will have gone nine seasons without a playoff win after his first decade in the job.
With the team currently sitting at 6-6 after a 4-1 start, this situation naturally raises a fair question: is it time for a change?
For both sides, a fresh start could be beneficial. The team could use a restart, and Tomlin could potentially benefit from a new dynamic or approach.
Tomlin, however, doesn’t appear to be as unsettled by the club’s current state as some would expect. Part of the reason might be certainty: the Steelers aren’t known for firing coaches. It’s almost a pattern for them. Since 1969, they’ve cycled through three head coaches, and the business side remains robust—fans fill the stadium, park their cars, buy concessions, and purchase merchandise. The enterprise continues to thrive even when seasons stumble.
That stability can breed complacency. Consider: Tomlin earns $16 million per year, win or lose. He has a Super Bowl title from his second season, and that success likely softens the sting of tough years. Why tolerate ongoing struggles when job security at a high salary is effectively guaranteed?
Tomlin’s stance is pragmatic about the team’s current state and the discontent that sparked “Fire Tomlin!” chants, even during the famous Renegade moment on Sunday. “In general, I agree with them from this perspective: football is our game, we’re in the sport-entertainment business,” he said Tuesday, via the Associated Press. “So if you root for the Steelers, entertaining them is winning. And when you’re not winning, it’s not entertaining.”
That statement signals Tomlin’s confidence that the fan base will keep showing up with hope for entertaining play. Regardless of entertainment value, money will flow, and the checks will keep coming for him.
This isn’t a personal knock on Tomlin. It’s a reflection of a reality created by a franchise that hasn’t felt the pressure to act differently from other teams.
Most NFL head coaches live with the looming risk of dismissal—the inevitability of job changes, even if a few are exceptions. Tomlin, given his résumé and the organization’s preference for stability, isn’t constantly worried about losing his job.
All of this can simmer into stagnation. The standard is “good enough” when the price tag remains high and the revenue stays strong. Unless a season collapses spectacularly, Art Rooney II isn’t likely to pull the plug.
If Rooney accepts that calculus, it’s business as usual. The real question for fans is whether the current setup is a short-term dip or a sign of a deeper, ongoing issue.
Either way, after nearly two decades together in an industry known for turnover, the Steelers and Tomlin may have drifted into a comfort zone. They know how to win enough to prevent a fan uprising and to keep the cash flow steady. In other words, the routine works—so why disrupt it?
That could be the core problem: a level of complacency that keeps the status quo intact. The power structure may be a little too comfortable, while fans crave something more than a recurring one-and-done postseason appearance—even if a playoff berth this year remains within reach.
The longer the stadium lights stay full and the more fans show up, the longer this cycle could persist. And that might be exactly what sustains a nine-year playoff drought, even as teams and coaches around the league face more abrupt changes.
