The Pittsburgh Steelers continued their playoff losing skid Monday night, as they fell to the Houston Texans 30-6 in their first playoff game in front of a full home crowd since January of 2018. The Steelers' continued shortcomings in the playoffs saw Mike Tomlin announce Tuesday that he will be stepping away from his head coaching duties with the team. The shocking news comes after 19 seasons with Tomlin at the helm in the Steel City. However, his seven-game playoff losing streak tied an NFL record and ended his tenure in Pittsburgh. Many believe that more changes are coming for the franchise.
Matt Freed / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers' former head coach, Mike Tomlin in the 2025 AFC Wildcard Round.
The subsequent changes coming to the Steelers' franchise are yet to be seen, and are merely just speculation at this point. While many have called for the Steelers to clean house, one person close to the situation does not rule out the Steelers keeping certain people around the team. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac mentioned Tuesday on X that sweeping changes are not necessarily a given following Tomlin's departure.
"Don't assume Mike Tomlin's departure means the Steelers will implode the coaching staff. They kept Dick LeBeau, Bruce Arians, Keith Butler and others when Tomlin was hired after Bill Cowher retired," said Dulac.
While the Steelers struggled on both sides of the ball in 2025, Dulac's post suggests that Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith and Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin are not guaranteed to be relieved of their duties following Tomlin's announcement. Bill Cowher departed from the Steelers in a similar way to Tomlin did. One important aspect to note of Tomlin's departure is that the Steelers still retain his rights since he was not technically fired by the organization.
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Steelers Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith observes attentively from the sideline during a matchup with Pittsburgh.
With many Steelers fans wanting Tomlin and the team to part ways, the past history Dulac mentioned means Smith and Austin very well could be on the new staff next year when the Steelers begin the 2026 season. With Tomlin a defensive-minded head coach, retaining Austin makes sense, even with the Steelers' struggles on that side of the ball. Austin may finally see the chance to run his his defensive unit all on his own.
The departure of Tomlin also most likely marks the end of quarterback Aaron Rogers' time in Pittsburgh, so Smith being retained even with a sluggish offense is a plausible outcome as well. Smith would oversee a new quarterback and potentially a second wide receiver to complement DK Metcalf, as the Steelers struggled in the passing game frequently throughout 2025.
Steelers' Future Outlook After Nearly Two Decades With Same Head Coach
It is commonly known that the Steelers are not quick to move on from coaches. However, with Tomlin deciding to step away, this will be the first change in that position in nearly two decades. Smith staying put at offensive coordinator would not be a total shock, as he helped engineer the resurgence in the career of Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill later on in Tannehill's career. Smith's offenses in year's past lacked the right fit at quarterback and this year, they did not have a reliable second wide receiver option to help free up Metcalf enough in their passing game. Austin also has a case for staying put on the next staff for the Steelers.
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Steelers' Teryl Austin on the sidelines during a win over the New York Jets in 2025.
Austin could retain his job due to the fact the Steelers' defense did improve down the stretch in 2025. The unit struggled at times, but they did improve in their final five regular season games, surrendering just 19.6 points per game. The Steelers won four of those last five regular season games as well. It is not clear how much influence Tomlin did have over Austin on the defensive side of the ball for Pittsburgh, but the assumption largely was that Tomlin was in the way of Austin due to his defensive background. With a fresh coaching change, Austin certainly can be retained as well with Smith based off recent history.
Do you think the Steelers will retain one or both of their coordinators? Which way do you think President Art Rooney II is leaning? Let us know in the comments below!
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