The Pittsburgh Steelers, armed with a 6-6 record heading into Week 14, find themselves at a very important point in the season. While the team has struggled as of late, they could take control of the AFC North by picking up a win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday afternoon. If they lose, though, the calls for the team to fire head coach Mike Tomlin will only grow louder.
Amid the team’s recent free fall, Tomlin has taken quite a bit of heat from fans, and deservedly so. However, given his longstanding relationship with the Steelers, reports have indicated that the team has no plans to fire him anytime soon. According to one NFL insider, though, Pittsburgh still could find itself moving on from Tomlin if one specific scenario ends up unfolding.
How Mike Tomlin and the Steelers Could Part Ways
Tomlin is in his 19th season coaching the Steelers, and he’s enjoyed a great deal of success with the team. Pittsburgh has never had a losing season under Tomlin’s lead, and he has led the franchise to a pair of Super Bowl championships during his time in charge. The problem is that, over the last few years, success has been hard to come by for the Steelers.
In 2025, the front office made it clear they were going all in this season, as they loaded up on experienced veterans that they believed would help the team make another title run. While things got off to a solid start, the team has begun falling apart, and it seems as if Tomlin simply has no answers when it comes to fixing Pittsburgh’s laundry list of issues.
Rumors have begun to emerge suggesting that if Tomlin can’t right the ship, he could get fired over the offseason, but they have quickly been shot down. However, per NFL insider Ian Rapoport, there’s still a chance Tomlin could not be back with the Steelers in 2026, but it would have to be his decision to move on from the team.
“Mike Tomlin is not going to get fired by the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Rapoport said on “NFL GameDay.” It is not going to happen, based on his success, based on his relationship with Art Rooney and the organization. If Tomlin is not the coach of the Steelers in 2026, my understanding is it would be because that is what he wants.”
What Should the Steelers Do with Mike Tomlin?
GettyPittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
At some point, all good things must come to an end, and it feels like the luster of Tomlin’s stint in charge of the Steelers has been gone for several years now. The team has never come close to moving on from Tomlin, though, despite his recent mixed results. This season is the first time things have felt truly up in the air when it comes to Tomlin’s future with the team, but for now, the two sides seem blindly devoted to one another.
There’s still a chance Tomlin could help Pittsburgh turn things around this season, but it seems more likely the team misses the playoffs entirely at this stage of the game. If that does happen, serious questions will need to be asked about his future with the team. But when push comes to shove, it seems more likely than not that Tomlin will once again be in charge of the Steelers once the 2026 season rolls around.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post NFL Insider Reveals Only Way Mike Tomlin, Steelers Could Part Ways appeared first on Heavy Sports.