According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, he can confirm the Steelers are not going to fire HC Mike Tomlin, and if he ends up not coaching the Steelers in 2026, it will most likely be because Tomlin himself decided to step away.
Rapoport adds it does not feel likely that the Steelers would trade Tomlin after this season either, as coach trades don’t come together often. Tomlin also has a no-trade clause in his contract.
The most likely scenario, per Rapoport, would be Tomlin taking a year off and doing some media work, like Broncos HC Sean Payton did when he left the Saints.
In that scenario, Rapoport says if the Steelers hired another coach they would receive compensation if Tomlin took a job elsewhere.
He also notes the Steelers are likely to pick up the option for Tomlin’s contract in 2027 to avoid him entering a lame duck year in 2026.
Pittsburgh signed Tomlin to a three-year contract extension back in June of 2024, and despite being the league’s longest-tenured head coach, he has had five consecutive one-and-done playoff appearances.
With the Steelers at 6-6 heading into Week 14 against the Ravens, there’s been a lot of frustration in Pittsburgh with Tomlin, leading to buzz about his future. There were chants from fans to fire him during last week’s loss to the Bills and former players like Ben Roethlisberger and James Harrison suggested it might be time for a change.
While speaking to the media last January, Steelers owner Art Rooney remained supportive of Tomlin.
“When you look at how many games Mike has won in this league, you don’t win that many games if you’re not a good coach,” Rooney said, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN. “And I know he’s frustrated like we all are in terms of not being able to take that next step, but we still feel good about him being the leader and still think he has the strengths that he always had in terms of being able to lead a team. The other side of the coin is when you look at the fact that we have six, seven, eight teams a year that turn their coaches over. When you have a good coach, you just try to keep building with them.”
Tomlin, 52, was hired as the Steelers’ head coach back in 2007 and managed to win a Super Bowl in just his second year with the franchise. He also has never had a losing record as an NFL coach.
In total, Tomlin has a career record of 189-113-2 (.625 winning percentage), which includes 12 playoff appearances in 18 seasons. His playoff record is 8-11. The Steelers have been to two Super Bowls under Tomlin.
We will have more on Tomlin and the Steelers as the news is available.
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