The Pittsburgh Steelers have been stuck in purgatory for several seasons now, but things are looking like they might change during the 2025 season. Things are not going well as the team currently has a record of 6-6 and 2-5 in its last seven contests. Pittsburgh is trending downward, although the franchise still has a chance to win the division and clinch a spot in the postseason due to the division-leading Baltimore Ravens also being 6-6. Regardless of how the rest of the 2025 season goes, the fan base has made it clear it wants to see some changes.
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A solo Steelers fans gets captured having a moment of anger about his favorite team.
Pittsburgh is a historically great franchise, but it might be time to see some major changes happen. It still feels like a long shot that Head Coach Mike Tomlin would be fired or that he would decide to walk away from the organization, but it could be a possibility if the rest of the season continues on the way that it has. Former Pittsburgh beat writer Ed Bouchette spoke about the current state of the organization on the most recent episode of the Chipped Ham And Football Podcast, and he stated this offseason might be similar to the way things went back in the day.
"That's pretty much what Dan Rooney told Chuck Noll in '88 after he went 5-11; he made him make all kinds of changes, including he wanted Tony Dungy, was defensive coordinator, youngest in the league, he wanted him demoted," Bouchette said. "Chuck made him secondary coach and Tony quit. But there were a bunch of coaches let go then. And they came back, made the playoffs in '89. And then in '91, Dan was stepping in again after another season out of the playoffs. He wanted him to get rid of Joe Walton, Chuck didn't want to go through that and just retired instead. You can push a coach so far, maybe sometimes, and he finally says no."
The Steelers missed the postseason during the 1988 season and went 5-11 on the year, and Dan Rooney was the president of the organization at this time. He stepped in and told then-Head Coach Chuck Noll that changes needed to be made on his coaching staff after a disappointing season. He made some changes, but the same thing happened after the 1991 season which led Noll to retire.
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Steelers' legendary head coach, Chuck Noll before a road game.
Bouchette brought this up to point out that something similar could happen after the 2025 season. It has been a disappointing year, and the fan base has let the organization hear it. Current Owner and Team President Art Rooney II is aware of the frustration and disappointment, which could lead him to step in after the season in a similar way that his father did.
Obvious changes that an owner like Rooney might want to see is a change at defensive coordinator. The organization has invested a ton of resources into that side of the ball, and nothing is working consistently. That unit has been disappointing for the majority of the last two seasons, which could lead to the owner wanting Teryl Austin out.
Steelers Could Do Mike Tomlin In A Similar Manner That The Organization Did Chuck Noll
Noll retired after the 1991 season after ownership once again wanted changes to his coaching staff, as it was something he did not want to deal with and he had already had a ton of success as a head coach. That is something that could happen to Tomlin. He has had a long and impressive career in Pittsburgh, and he might not want to deal with ownership meddling with his coaching staff, which could force him into retirement, or at least parting ways with the franchise.
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Steelers brass Art Rooney II, Omar Khan, and Mike Tomlin during the 2025 NFL Draft.
It is unclear whether or not he would want to continue his coaching career, but it would be an interesting thing to keep an eye on.
What do you think about Bouchette's comparison? Let us know in the comments below!
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