By Mike DeFabo
Jan. 13, 2026
Updated 2:38 pm EST
- The Athletic
Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers are separating after 19 seasons. Tomlin informed the team he is stepping down on Tuesday, according to a statement from the Steelers.
The announcement comes after the Steelers lost to the Houston Texans in a wild-card game, 30-6, on Monday night. Tomlin, 53, signed a contract extension following the 2023 season that the team initially announced would run through the end of 2027. However, had Tomlin stayed, the Steelers would have needed to decide by March 1 if they wanted to pick up a team option for 2027 or if they wanted to make 2026 the final year of his deal. Rather than reaching that crossroads, Tomlin has chosen to step away on his own accord. The Steelers will now be looking to hire just their fourth head coach since 1969.
On Jan. 22, 2007, the Steelers made a somewhat surprising hire when they selected a 34-year-old Tomlin to replace Bill Cowher over a number of strong internal candidates. Two years later, Tomlin hoisted the Lombardi Trophy at 36 years old, at the time becoming the youngest coach in NFL history to win the Super Bowl.
Over his nearly two-decade run, Tomlin went from the NFL’s youngest coach to league’s longest tenured. The coach who famously has never endured a losing season compiled a 193-114-2 regular-season record — he tied legendary coach Chunk Noll’s franchise record for regular-season victories, and did so in 33 fewer games. Tomlin currently ranks ninth on the NFL’s all-time wins list and his .628 career winning percentage is 26th all-time.
Within league circles, Tomlin remains one of the most well-respected men in football, and has regularly been voted the coach most players most want to play for. He’s led the Steelers to the playoffs in 13 of his 19 seasons and has won eight AFC North titles, including this season.
However, recent postseason disappointments have complicated his legacy and caused his approval rating to decline dramatically in Pittsburgh. His playoff record stands at 8-12, and Monday’s loss was his seventh consecutive postseason defeat, tying him with former Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis for the longest playoff losing streak of all-time.
In many ways, Super Bowl XLV is a pivot point in his postseason story. Before his Super Bowl meeting with Aaron Rodgers, Tomlin’s postseason record was a sparkling 5-2, with two AFC Championship Game victories and one Lombardi Trophy. Beginning with the loss to the Packers, he’s 3-9 in the playoffs. Entering Monday’s game, Tomlin has not won a playoff game since Jan. 15, 2017.
“It’s about this collective, and quite frankly, most of these men don’t care about (the drought) you mentioned,” Tomlin said last week. “Most of them are new to us, and so that’s where my focus is. I’m certainly not going to unpack my bags on the collective’s bed, if you will.”
Right or wrong, the drought began to outweigh Tomlin’s non-losing season streak in Pittsburgh. At times, he’s been a challenging coach to evaluate. Initially, his ability to lift teams with subpar quarterback play to .500 records was seen as yet another jewel in his crown. But since the start of the 2018 season, he’s won exactly eight, nine or 10 games in seven of the last eight years.
The Rooney family, famously loyal and patient, remained committed to their coach even as his approval rating declined.
“You don’t win that many games if you’re not a good coach,” Steelers owner and team president Art Rooney II said following last year’s loss in the wild-card round. “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 our leader. When you’ve got a good coach, you try to keep him in place. When I talk to the players, they still want to play for Mike.”
Feeling stuck in football purgatory — good enough to squeak into the playoffs but never great enough to contend — fans in Pittsburgh grew frustrated. The breaking point came in Week 13 of this season. During a blowout loss to the Bills in November, fans chanted “Fire Tomlin.” The coach has heard calls for his job before, but never like this inside his own stadium. At the same time, a number of prominent Steelers have come forward suggesting it was time for Tomlin to move on, including James Harrison, Ryan Clark and even Ben Roethlisberger.
“Maybe it’s a clean-house time,” Roethlisberger said on his podcast following the loss to the Bills. “Maybe it is, maybe it’s time. And I like Coach Tomlin. I have a lot of respect for Coach Tomlin. But maybe it’s best for him, too.”
Like he has done many times before, Tomlin responded to the criticism and self-inflicted adversity. The Steelers rallied from 6-6 to win four of their final fives games to clinch the AFC North and qualify for the playoffs. Still, one has to wonder if, at some point, Tomlin decided he no longer wanted to coach in a city, and for a fan base, that seems to no longer appreciate him.
Tomlin’s legacy in Pittsburgh will likely rebound the longer he’s away from the team. In addition to the Lombardi Trophy that will forever sit inside the Steelers’ facility, Tomlin’s relationships with his players should be a defining part of what will likely be a Hall of Fame career. He knows even the smallest details about players, down to their high school mascots and hometown area codes. This ability to relate and connect kept players bought in, even when seasons went sideways.
Last year, The Athletic asked players for their best Tomlin anecdotes. When B.J. Finney’s grandfather had two heart attacks and a stroke in a three-day period, Tomlin told him to go home and be with family. When Issac Redman’s cousin passed away, Tomlin told the running back that he had to release him to create a roster spot but promised the running back that he would sign him back to the team when he was ready to return (Tomlin made good on his word a few weeks later). When Willie Colon was in a dark emotional state following a season-ending injury, he credits Tomlin for saving his life by keeping him around the team.
“I’m not trying to be overromantic about this or weird about it, but he saved me,” Colon said last year. “He saved my life.”
Jan. 13, 2026
Updated 2:38 pm EST
- The Athletic
Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers are separating after 19 seasons. Tomlin informed the team he is stepping down on Tuesday, according to a statement from the Steelers.
Statement from Steelers President Art Rooney II on Coach Mike Tomlin: pic.twitter.com/1g5iqKi9MN
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) January 13, 2026
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) January 13, 2026
The announcement comes after the Steelers lost to the Houston Texans in a wild-card game, 30-6, on Monday night. Tomlin, 53, signed a contract extension following the 2023 season that the team initially announced would run through the end of 2027. However, had Tomlin stayed, the Steelers would have needed to decide by March 1 if they wanted to pick up a team option for 2027 or if they wanted to make 2026 the final year of his deal. Rather than reaching that crossroads, Tomlin has chosen to step away on his own accord. The Steelers will now be looking to hire just their fourth head coach since 1969.
On Jan. 22, 2007, the Steelers made a somewhat surprising hire when they selected a 34-year-old Tomlin to replace Bill Cowher over a number of strong internal candidates. Two years later, Tomlin hoisted the Lombardi Trophy at 36 years old, at the time becoming the youngest coach in NFL history to win the Super Bowl.
Over his nearly two-decade run, Tomlin went from the NFL’s youngest coach to league’s longest tenured. The coach who famously has never endured a losing season compiled a 193-114-2 regular-season record — he tied legendary coach Chunk Noll’s franchise record for regular-season victories, and did so in 33 fewer games. Tomlin currently ranks ninth on the NFL’s all-time wins list and his .628 career winning percentage is 26th all-time.
Within league circles, Tomlin remains one of the most well-respected men in football, and has regularly been voted the coach most players most want to play for. He’s led the Steelers to the playoffs in 13 of his 19 seasons and has won eight AFC North titles, including this season.
However, recent postseason disappointments have complicated his legacy and caused his approval rating to decline dramatically in Pittsburgh. His playoff record stands at 8-12, and Monday’s loss was his seventh consecutive postseason defeat, tying him with former Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis for the longest playoff losing streak of all-time.
In many ways, Super Bowl XLV is a pivot point in his postseason story. Before his Super Bowl meeting with Aaron Rodgers, Tomlin’s postseason record was a sparkling 5-2, with two AFC Championship Game victories and one Lombardi Trophy. Beginning with the loss to the Packers, he’s 3-9 in the playoffs. Entering Monday’s game, Tomlin has not won a playoff game since Jan. 15, 2017.
“It’s about this collective, and quite frankly, most of these men don’t care about (the drought) you mentioned,” Tomlin said last week. “Most of them are new to us, and so that’s where my focus is. I’m certainly not going to unpack my bags on the collective’s bed, if you will.”
Right or wrong, the drought began to outweigh Tomlin’s non-losing season streak in Pittsburgh. At times, he’s been a challenging coach to evaluate. Initially, his ability to lift teams with subpar quarterback play to .500 records was seen as yet another jewel in his crown. But since the start of the 2018 season, he’s won exactly eight, nine or 10 games in seven of the last eight years.
The Rooney family, famously loyal and patient, remained committed to their coach even as his approval rating declined.
“You don’t win that many games if you’re not a good coach,” Steelers owner and team president Art Rooney II said following last year’s loss in the wild-card round. “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 our leader. When you’ve got a good coach, you try to keep him in place. When I talk to the players, they still want to play for Mike.”
Feeling stuck in football purgatory — good enough to squeak into the playoffs but never great enough to contend — fans in Pittsburgh grew frustrated. The breaking point came in Week 13 of this season. During a blowout loss to the Bills in November, fans chanted “Fire Tomlin.” The coach has heard calls for his job before, but never like this inside his own stadium. At the same time, a number of prominent Steelers have come forward suggesting it was time for Tomlin to move on, including James Harrison, Ryan Clark and even Ben Roethlisberger.
“Maybe it’s a clean-house time,” Roethlisberger said on his podcast following the loss to the Bills. “Maybe it is, maybe it’s time. And I like Coach Tomlin. I have a lot of respect for Coach Tomlin. But maybe it’s best for him, too.”
Like he has done many times before, Tomlin responded to the criticism and self-inflicted adversity. The Steelers rallied from 6-6 to win four of their final fives games to clinch the AFC North and qualify for the playoffs. Still, one has to wonder if, at some point, Tomlin decided he no longer wanted to coach in a city, and for a fan base, that seems to no longer appreciate him.
Tomlin’s legacy in Pittsburgh will likely rebound the longer he’s away from the team. In addition to the Lombardi Trophy that will forever sit inside the Steelers’ facility, Tomlin’s relationships with his players should be a defining part of what will likely be a Hall of Fame career. He knows even the smallest details about players, down to their high school mascots and hometown area codes. This ability to relate and connect kept players bought in, even when seasons went sideways.
Last year, The Athletic asked players for their best Tomlin anecdotes. When B.J. Finney’s grandfather had two heart attacks and a stroke in a three-day period, Tomlin told him to go home and be with family. When Issac Redman’s cousin passed away, Tomlin told the running back that he had to release him to create a roster spot but promised the running back that he would sign him back to the team when he was ready to return (Tomlin made good on his word a few weeks later). When Willie Colon was in a dark emotional state following a season-ending injury, he credits Tomlin for saving his life by keeping him around the team.
“I’m not trying to be overromantic about this or weird about it, but he saved me,” Colon said last year. “He saved my life.”
