Mike Tomlin resigns as Steelers coach, ending 19-year career

Mike Tomlin has resigned as coach of the Steelers, ending a 19-year undefeated streak in Pittsburgh.

PITTSBURGH — Mike Tomlin has resigned as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, ending a 19-year coaching career in which he never had a losing season.

Tomlin, 53, is not expected to coach elsewhere in 2026, sources told Adam Schefter of .

The Steelers announced Tomlin's decision Tuesday afternoon, saying his hitting record "may not be repeated."

Tomlin said in a statement that he had decided to retire "after much thought and consideration."

"This organization has been a big part of my life for many years and it's an honor to lead this team," he said.“I am very grateful to Arthur Rooney II and the late Ambassador Rooney for their trust and support.

"I also want to thank the Steelers. Your passion, dedication and high expectations represent what makes this franchise truly special. Coaching in Pittsburgh is unlike any other. I will always be honored to be the manager of this team."

Tomlin, who has two years left on his contract, told Steelers players of his decision to leave at 2 p.m.ET Tuesday, one day after Pittsburgh was eliminated from the playoffs with a 30-6 loss to the Texans in the AFC Iron Round.

"Coach Tomlin informed me during our meeting today that he has decided to step down as our head coach," Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a statement.

Tomlin leaves Pittsburgh with an unprecedented legacy of not giving up a second for almost two decades at the head of the franchise.He achieved his 200th NFL career win in Week 16 against the Lions, and won the AFC North title in Week 18 against the Ravens, tying Chuck Noll for the ninth of his 193 career wins.

With Tomlin's departure, the Steelers will begin the search for just their fourth head coach since 1969.Tomlin signed an extension through 2024 that could keep him with the team through the 2027 season, with a club option that expires on March 1, 2026.

Because Tomlin has opted out of the contract, the Steelers retain his coaching rights and can negotiate a deal if he returns to an NFL away game before the end of the 2027 season.

"Even as this chapter closes, my respect and love for the Pittsburgh Steelers will never change," Tomlin said in his statement."I'm excited about what the future holds for this organization and I will always be grateful for my time as a coach in Pittsburgh."

Until his resignation, Tomlin was the longest-tenured head coach of a North American professional sports franchise.

"It's hard for me to put into words my respect and admiration for Coach Tomlin," Rooney said in his statement.

"My family and I, along with everyone connected with Steelers management, are forever grateful for the love and dedication Mike Tomlin has given to Steelers football."

For all his accomplishments, Tomlin finished his historic tenure in Pittsburgh with a disappointing nine-year postseason win drought.Despite winning a Super Bowl, two conference championships and seven division titles, Tomlin's teams went 8-12 overall in postseason play.His last postseason win was an 18-16 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.in 2016.

The Steelers followed up the victory over the Chiefs with a 36-17 loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, their last appearance in the conference title game.Since then, the Steelers have been one-and-done in six postseason appearances, and have been outscored 131-58 in their last three wild-card losses.

Tomlin's final game in Pittsburgh ended with loud cheers as fans raised chants to boo the coach as he and Aaron Rodgers walked off the field, down a flight of stairs and into the tunnel shortly after 11 p.m.

“When you don't, words are cheap,” Tomlin said Monday night in response to a question about his message to fans after the game."It's about what you do or don't do. And so, I appreciate the question, but people talk a lot in our business. You either do it or you don't."

During Monday night's postgame press conference, Tomlin had little confidence that he would return to the Steelers, a departure from his message after last season's losing streak.However, the players backed their head coach after the loss, including Rodgers, who signed a one-year contract in May 2025.

"Mike T has had more success than anybody in the league in the last 19, 20 years," Rodgers said."More than that, when you have the right person and the right culture, you don't think about making a change, but there is a lot of pressure from outside, of course, that affects decisions from time to time.

"But that's not the way I do things and that's not what the league has been."

Longtime defensive captain Cameron Hayward, who was drafted 31st overall by the Steelers in 2011, became mean to Tomlin even amid the outside noise.

"I don't care about that vote because they don't know what Mike T is going to put into it," Heyward said emotionally as he stood in an empty locker room late Monday night."They don't know how he prepares for each guy. They don't know how many nights that guy is out there studying film. Coaching only does so much, players have to play better. And in those critical moments, players step up."

Marked by incredible wins and tough losses, Tomlin's final season was a microcosm of his nearly two decades in Pittsburgh.

After an extraordinary season for the Steelers that saw the high-profile acquisitions of Rodgers, wide receiver DK Metcalf and cornerback Jalen Ramsey, Pittsburgh opens the 2025 season 4-1 and with a two-game lead in the injury department.started it.

Fans showed their displeasure with Tomlin in the second half of a 26-7 loss to the Bills when "Fire Tomlin" chants filled Acrisure Stadium and boos drowned out the Steelers' anthem "Renegade" by Styx.

The Steelers bounced back from a Week 13 loss to the Bills with three straight wins against the Ravens, Dolphins and Lions to avoid a losing season and move into the division pilot's seat.

Unusual hiring when he took over as coach in 2007 after a year off as Minnesota Vikings defense coordinator Tomlin was an almost instant success in Pittsburgh.

At age 36, he won Super Bowl XLIII in his second season, becoming the youngest head coach to lift the Lombardi Trophy.(Sean McVay was 36 years younger when his Rams won Super Bowl LVI in February 2022.) Tomlin returned to the Super Bowl a year later, but fell to Rodgers' Green Bay Packers.Tomlin never returned as a head coach over the past 15 seasons.

Known for his stout defense and continuing the Steelers' organizational tradition of a dominant run game, Tomlin struggled to find consistency at quarterback following Ben Roethlisberger's retirement in 2022. The Steelers drafted Kenny Pickett with a first-round pick in 2022, but the Pitt product was traded after two seasons.

With last time the Rortlisbergers as starters, have five weeks and five weeks to start the quarter that starts in five days.

With the loss to the Texans, Tomlin, who has gone 10-7 in each of his last three seasons, became the first head coach in franchise history to go nine consecutive seasons without a postseason win.The nine playoff streak also marks the team's longest winning streak in the Super Bowl era.The Steelers also became the first team in NFL history to lose five straight playoff games by double digits.