Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin is the longest-tenured active head coach in the NFL. He is entering his 19th season as the organization's head coach, which is the second-longest tenure held by a Steelers coach. The legendary Chuck Noll spent 23 years at the helm and since 1969, the Steelers have only had three head coaches in Noll, Bill Cowher, and Tomlin. The Steelers are the only organization in the NFL to have just three coaches since 1969.
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Steelers legendary head coach Chuck Noll before a game.
Many franchises across the league probably wish they had the Steelers' fortune of having excellent head coaches. Having a long-term head coach provides comfort within an organization, as well as for the fan base, especially when the team is winning.
Comfort is exactly what the Steelers organization has provided for the last 56 years with its head coaches. There are only five active head coaches in the NFL with 10 or more years of experience in the role. Only two of those five have been with the same organization their entire careers: Tomlin and John Harbaugh.
Tomlin has the second-most wins in franchise history with 183. He is only 10 wins away from passing Noll as the franchise leader. Tomlin's success as a head coach cannot be denied, but unlike Noll, he has not produced wins in the postseason, especially in the last decade. Noll had a playoff record of 16-8 and is responsible for four of the Steelers' six Super Bowl wins.
While it is probably inevitable that Tomlin will pass Noll as the leader in wins, he may never be as revered as Noll. Since winning the Super Bowl in 2008 the Steelers have a 5-10 playoff record under Tomlin.
Tomlin's lack of success in the playoffs has been a lingering issue within the fanbase. Steelers fans are used to competing for championships, not Wild Card playoff losses, which has been the outcome of the last four playoff appearances. Which has some fans concerned if Tomlin should continue to be the head coach. However, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic does not believe Tomlin is going anywhere anytime soon, per his recent appearance on The Bet MGM Network.
"The Steelers famously have only had three head coaches since 1969 and [the way] their model works, you should stick with your head coach," DeFabo said. "A couple years ago, Art Rooney handed Mike Tomlin a brand new contract extension making him one of the five highest paid coaches in the league and that contract runs through 2027... The franchise holds him in high regard and they don't like paying coaches not to coach, so I think Mike Tomlin probably has closer to a lifetime contract than he's ever going to be on the hot seat."
Tomlin is a great coach, and when you have a good thing going, you don't end it because of a few down years. Since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers have not had much to work with at quarterback.
No matter how great a coach is, there is only so much scheming and preparation they can do throughout the week. The players still have to go out and execute the game plan for the team to be successful.
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Steelers' Head Coach Mike Tomlin and then-quarterback Ben Roethlisberger celebrate after winning the AFC Championship Game to move onto the Super Bowl.
It looked like the Steelers might have found Roethlisberger's successor in Justin Fields, but when he decided to leave for the New York Jets in free agency it put the Steelers back at square one. Which part of that decision could be blamed on Tomlin for benching Fields after starting last season 4-2.
Unfortunately, great coaches sometimes make the wrong decision, and in hindsight, the decision to hand the keys over to Russell Wilson over Fields may not have been the correct decision. If the Steelers quarterback situation was different, maybe the discussions around Tomlin would also be different. It's really hard to compete for championships without elite quarterback play, which the Steelers have not had since Roethlisberger.
Steelers' Mike Tomlin Deserves To Finish Career In Pittsburgh
The Steelers' fan base holds the team in high regard when it comes to competing for championships. Rightfully so, the franchise is tied with the New England Patriots for most all-time with six. However, moving on from Tomlin is not something the organization should be thinking about. Tomlin has achieved more with the Steelers than several coaches have throughout their entire careers.
Giving Tomlin the grace of not having a stable quarterback situation does not exempt him from still producing. The organization and fans should still have expectations and standards above the rest of the league, while also understanding championship aspirations come with a franchise quarterback.
Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Mike Tomlin greets fans after a win against the Browns in Week 14
Once the Steelers get the quarterback situation settled long-term the conversations about Tomlin's playoff success may change. In Tomlin's first six playoff games as a head coach, he went 5-1 with two Super Bowl appearances. So, he has proven that when he has elite quarterback play he can lead the Steelers to the promised land.
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