The Pittsburgh Steelers are committed to Mike Tomlin despite the coach failing to lead a playoff victory for nearly a decade, and despite Tomlin seemingly betting his 2025 season on the eventual arrival of 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers. At least one former Steelers defender believes Tomlin shouldn’t be in Pittsburgh at all, suggesting this week that the coach’s message is no longer registering internally.
“I believe that Mike Tomlin is unfireable,” former Pro Bowl safety Ryan Clark said Thursday on ESPN. “I believe if Mike Tomlin steps away from being the coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, that should be his decision. And I’ve said time and time again: I do believe that should be the decision that he makes.
“I believe that Mike Tomlin should coach in another organization,” Clark continued. “Mike Tomlin should be a fresh voice somewhere else. Because … as great as a coach as he is, and he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer, I believe his voice has run stale there. I believe he’s allowed that team to reach the highest of heights they’re gonna reach, unless they can get a top-tier quarterback.”
Rodgers, at 41, may or may not fit the bill under center. And despite his strong ties to Pittsburgh this offseason, he remains unsigned, publicly hesitant to make any commitment regarding his NFL future after a middling two seasons with the New York Jets. That leaves Mason Rudolph, a career backup who already left the Steelers once, as Tomlin’s top projected quarterback for the 2025 campaign.
Tomlin packing his bags, Clark argued, could be akin to Andy Reid leaving the Philadelphia Eagles after a storied run in the early 2000s, only to find greater success with the Kansas City Chiefs down the road. Tomlin, meanwhile, has pushed back against any notion he desires a fresh start, telling reporters to “save your time” speculating about a relocation when trade rumors surfaced early this offseason.
The coach, who won Super Bowl XLIII while Clark was on the Steelers’ roster, has never overseen a losing record in his 18 seasons on the job. Yet he’s lost six straight postseason games dating to 2016.
This news was originally published on this post .
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