The NFL’s longest-tenured coach got a contract extension but hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season.
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin roams the sidelines during player introductions prior to the start of the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA on October 29, 2023.
The stability of the Pittsburgh Steelers is admirable.
While other sports franchises frequently change head coaches at the first signs of adversity, the Steelers have fought against that trend for decades. The Rooney family hasn’t fired a coach since 1968 and has had three coaches since, all of them have won at least one Super Bowl: Chuck Noll (4), Bill Cowher (1), and Mike Tomlin (1).
That said, resistance to change is also how organizations get stuck in inertia. Tomlin is unquestionably a future Hall of Fame coach. He has never had a losing season, and last year, the Steelers made the playoffs despite a terrible offense. But the grumbling from some media members and some fans around Tomlin has increased. Pittsburgh hasn’t won a playoff game since following the 2016 regular season. It has dropped five straight, including four by double-digits.
