Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin retires after 19 years
Chris Bumbaka and Prince Grimes are reacting to the end of Mike Tomlin’s 19-season tenure as Steelers head coach.
The NFL’s longest-running coach-team partnership has come to an end.
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is stepping down after a 20-year partnership that brought the franchise two Super Bowl appearances and one championship.
Tomlin never finished with a losing record in 19 seasons with the Steelers. His 193 regular season wins are tied for ninth in NFL history, tied with Steelers head coach Chuck Noll. The last game against the Steelers was the most lopsided game of the Wild Card playoffs, a 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans.
Tomlin, 53, was one of the youngest coaches in league history when he joined the Steelers in 2007. It’s natural to think this isn’t the end of his coaching career in the NFL.
This increases the number of teams searching for head coaches to nine: Atlanta, Arizona, Baltimore, Cleveland, Las Vegas, Miami, Pittsburgh, Tennessee and the New York Giants. A quarter of the leagues are looking for new leaders for next season.
If Tomlin decides to continue coaching next season, another team will have to compensate the Steelers because he resigned but was not fired. This is a similar situation to what happened with Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints.
There are four places he can land:
Mike Tomlin’s landing spot
new york giants
This job is appealing because it looks like the Giants need to cover their most important position: quarterback. Pittsburgh struggled to find a long-term solution at the position after Ben Roethlisberger retired, which held them back in the competitive AFC. In New York, Tomlin could bring stability and experience to a team filled with young stars in key positions.
tennessee titans
Like New York, Tennessee has a young quarterback in Cam Ward who appears to have the tools to succeed in the NFL. They also have some guys on the offensive line and Jeffery Simmons that could turn things around sooner rather than later. This franchise performs best with stability at the top under a defensive-minded head coach (e.g. Mike Vrabel). Tomlin would fit into that mold.
atlanta falcons
Atlanta’s quarterback situation is shaky, but the rest of the roster is loaded with promising young talent. This defense turned things around in 2025, with Atlanta not far from playoff contention in the NFC South. Tomlin could consider this the best way to be regularly relevant in the playoffs compared to other openers.
miami dolphins
There are a lot of questions on Miami’s roster, and Tomlin will be a stark contrast to Mike McDaniel, who the team just parted ways with. The Dolphins need help at multiple key positions, and Tomlin would bring experience unlike the team’s previous hires.
