Steelers' Mike Tomlin Makes Emphatic Statement On Who Exactly Fired Matt Canada That Contradicts Initial Reports

The Pittsburgh Steelers have made a change. The organization decided to let Matt Canada pursue opportunities in another venue. Canada’s tenure as an NFL offensive coordinator has ended in Pittsburgh, and not a moment too soon. The Steelers are still very much alive in the AFC North and the AFC Wild Card conversation.

The Steelers locker room appeared fractured after Diontae Johnson’s sideline outburst on Sunday and Najee Harris’s postgame tirade. It is unclear whether they were directed at the offensive coordinator or Kenny Pickett. When the dust cleared on Tuesday morning, Pickett was still the starting quarterback, and Canada was cleaning out his office.

Gerry Dulac from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported this morning that Art Rooney II had seen enough and decided to let Canada go. Dulac’s reporting was immediately contradicted when Mike Tomlin held his weekly press conference on Tuesday. The Steelers head coach presented an alternative account of what transpired with his offensive coordinator.

“I made a change at the coordinator position,” Tomlin began. “Did not come to this decision lightly, to be transparent with you. It is my role to absorb and protect those that I work with, and this doesn’t feel like that. I’m not interested in assigning blame. I've been in this role so long, I’m quite comfortable with absorbing.”

Tomlin had stuck by Canada after an awful tenure as the offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Fans were dumbfounded when he was retained after the 2022 season. Rooney and Tomlin cited continuity for Pickett and mild offensive improvements in the second half of the 2022 season as reasons for retaining Canada. Somebody in the Pittsburgh hierarchy had seen enough and sent the embattled coach packing on Tuesday. Tomlin insinuated that it was his decision.

“Rest assured, this decision was not taken lightly,” Tomlin continued. “I got a lot of respect for Matt both personally and professionally. It was not easy. But I thought it was necessary. This is a result-oriented business. To be short, the improvements were not rapid enough or consistent enough for us to proceed.”

The decision to fire Canada is quickly disappearing behind the impenetrable veil of the Steelers' organization. Dulac, a veteran reporter, did not directly contradict Tomlin's assertion that he made the decision. He probably understands that there is nothing to be gained by embarrassing the Head Coach, and based on previous assertions about Tomlin being protected from difficult questions, there is a lot to lose. 

"I did not come to this decision lightly,” Tomlin concluded. “It was not easy, but I thought it was necessary. You just know when you're there.”

Tomlin does not operate in a private fiefdom. It is entirely possible that Omar Khan, Rooney, and Tomlin were all involved in the decision-making process. Canada was under contract through the end of the season, so even if Tomlin decided to fire him, he would have to clear the business side with the owner and general manager. Who said what to whom and in what order is not germane four days before Pittsburgh plays the Cincinnati Bengals. 

It will be an essential component after the 2023 season. Tomlin only has one year remaining on his current contract, and how the Steelers handle those negotiations should provide a window into this decision. The search for a new permanent coordinator will provide valuable insight as well. If the Pittsburgh offense rights the ship under Eddie Faulkner and Mike Sullivan, the search could define Tomlin's status in the organization. 

Tomlin has promoted coordinators from within since Todd Haley left the team after his contract was not renewed for the 2017 season. If the organization forces him to look outside of his staff to fix the offense permanently, it will be hard to believe, based on his history, that it was Tomlin's decision. It would also lend credence to Dulac's initial reporting that Rooney, not Tomlin, orchestrated the removal of Canada. 

Steelers' Dan Rooney Once Told Bill Cowher, "You Don't Tell Me How To Spend My Money"

This is not the first time a Steelers head coach may have disagreed with the Rooney family. Dan Rooney nearly fired Chuck Noll after the 1988 season. He also let Bill Cowher know in an emphatic fashion that he, not his head coach, would make free agent decisions. Both times, it had tangible positive results for the team.

If ownership stepped in to save Tomlin from himself, it's long overdue. Like the Noll and Rooney incidents, the whole story will leak to the media in about 15 years. Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk likes to say that the Steelers avoid blame by never taking credit. Obfuscating the organization's inner workings is the Steelers Way. The departure of Canada proved it still works, at least it did today. 

What do you think, Steeler Nation? Who actually decided to fire Canada, Tomlin or Rooney? Please comment below or on my Twitter/X: @thebubbasq. 

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