The Pittsburgh Steelers got off to a promising start in 2024. Despite suffering numerous injuries to key positions early in the season, they managed to go 10-3. This had even the most previously frustrated Yinzers buying in, hoping for their first playoff win since the 2016 season. Unfortunately, they regressed, losing their final four games of the regular season and, ultimately, the Wild Card game against the Baltimore Ravens. The fan base is more disillusioned than ever and are calling for heads to roll.
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Mike Tomlin, Omar Khan, and Art Rooney II at training camp.
Many fans have been clear that nothing short of firing Head Coach Mike Tomlin will do. However, most local media members believe that is extremely unlikely. For one thing, the Steelers extended Tomlin's contract in 2024, which keeps him in Pittsburgh for at least another two seasons. The current owner, Art Rooney II, is said to be unlikely to let the Tomlin era end on such a low note. The other alternative that is often suggested is that he hire new assistant coaches. However, both Teryl Austin and Arthur Smith are under contract.
Ray Fittipaldo from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently joined The PM Team with Poni and Mueller on 93.7 The Fan and was asked by host Andrew Fillipponi when the fans should expect to hear news about coaching changes. He said Tomlin could still have conversations with coaches over the next few weeks. He noted there hasn't been consistent timing when moving on from coaches in the past. Tomlin has even made changes in late January in the past. While anything could happen, he doesn't think fans should hold their breath.
"I don't get the sense that anything is imminent at all," explained Fittipaldo. "That could change. I haven't heard anything like, that anyone who's under contract, let me say that, anyone who is under contract is going to be let go — but that could change. Maybe Mike goes out and hires a consultant, like Brian Flores, an assistant head coach. Art [Rooney II] has shown a willingness to do that in the past. They did it with Brian Flores and a few other occasions, too, where you bring somebody else in who's an addition to the coaching staff, not somebody who's taking someone's place who's under contract. The sense I get right now is there's going to be changes, but probably not the changes the people want to hear about."
This is likely to aggravate an already unhappy group of fans. When the team fell apart at the end of the season, it was on both sides of the ball. It feels like the offense promised under Smith is not what fans received. They also feel that the highest-paid defense in the league continued to underperform under Austin.
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Steelers' Cameron Heyward.
The players quickly pointed out that this was a total team failure, which meant everyone from the top down had a hand in it. Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward said they were worse in the playoffs despite making adjustments after the last loss to the Ravens in the regular season. That leaves them with more questions than answers in the 2025 offseason.
Steelers Aren't In Matt Canada Territory Yet
The Steelers organization is known to be incredibly loyal. While many fans might believe it is time for new messaging, it would be astonishing if there was a significant shake-up. However, Fittipaldo doesn't think they are there yet.
He said they hadn't gotten to "Matt Canada territory" yet. Canada was a quarterbacks coach for the Steelers for one year and was elevated to offensive coordinator in 2021. He was fired about two-thirds of the way through the 2023 season, and the team hired Smith to replace him during the 2024 offseason.
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Steelers' Mike Tomlin and Matt Canada look on during practice.
Fittipaldo said those were desperate times, and that is not where they are now. He said it is true the defense struggled at the end of the season, but before that, they were playing well, so he doesn't think they will fire Austin mid-contract, and Smith hasn't even been with the team for a whole year yet.
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