Mike Tomlin Steps Down As Steelers Head Coach After 19 Seasons

After 19 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, head coach Mike Tomlin has stepped down. 

“Obviously, I am extremely grateful to Mike for all the hard work, dedication, and success we have shared over the last 19 years. It is hard for me to put into words the level of respect and appreciation I have for Coach Tomlin,” Steelers president Art Rooney II said, the Guardian reports. “He guided the franchise to our sixth Super Bowl championship and made the playoffs 13 times during his tenure, including winning the AFC North eight times in his career.”

Tomlin, who started coaching the Steelers in 2007, released his own statement shortly afterwards. 

“I am deeply grateful to Art Rooney II and the late Ambassador [Dan] Rooney for their trust and support,” Tomlin said. “I am also thankful to the players who gave everything they had every day, and to the coaches and staff whose commitment and dedication made this journey so meaningful.”

The 53-year-old, who was the longest tenured head coach in the NFL, leaves the organization having never had a losing season, but Pittsburgh’s playoff loss to the Houston Texans on Monday lead to chants of “Fire Tomlin” from the home crowd. The last playoff game the Steelers won was in 2016.

Tomlin is one of the most beloved coaches to have ever stalked a sideline. The players still supported him and even after Monday’s loss, several players went out of their way to voice their support of their head coach.

“Mike T has had more success than damn near anybody in the league for the last 19, 20 years,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “And more than that, though, when you have the right guy and the culture is right, you don’t think about making a change, but there’s a lot of pressure that comes from the outside, and obviously that sways decisions from time to time. But it’s not how I would do things and not how the league used to be.”

In his almost two decades with the same team, “Tomlin compiled 193 wins in the regular season, a total that puts him ninth all-time in NFL history and tied with another legendary Steelers head coach, Chuck Noll. He won the Super Bowl in February 2009 in his second season with the Steelers and reached the title game again two years later but lost to the Green Bay Packers,” the Guardian reports. 

Pittsburgh isn’t used to replacing head coaches. In fact since 1969 they’ve only had four people that have served the team in that position. They are hoping that the next person they bring in can right the ship and get the team back to the Super Bowl. 

“While this chapter comes to a close, my respect and love for the Pittsburgh Steelers will never change,” Tomlin said in his statement. “I am excited for what the future holds for this organization, and I will forever be grateful for my time coaching in Pittsburgh.”

See social media’s take on the amicable split below.