The Pittsburgh Steelers have been the model of consistency ever since Mike Tomlin replaced a retiring Bill Cowher as head coach in 2007. The Steelers won a Super Bowl title with Tomlin in the 2008 season. Perhaps most incredibly, never had a losing record with the head coach at the helm.
Tomlin has been a bit of a media darling due to his incredible consistency, even though it hasn't led to much success as of late. Not to mention his ability to keep big ego players like Antonio Brown in check. Plus, players on the roster praise Tomlin for his ability to lead the team to wins. But what about former players?
CBS Sports insider Aditi Kinkhabwala revealed recently during an appearance on 97.3 The Fan in Pittsburgh that many former players have "bitten their tongues" when asked about their experiences playing for Tomlin.
"I’ll just say this without violating anybody’s trust. There are many, many, many former players that I have spoken to that have bitten their tongues about their experience with Mike," Kinkhabwala said, h/t Sports Illustrated
Former Steelers have 'bitten their tongues' about experiences playing for Mike Tomlin
Sometimes silence speaks volumes. The fact that some former players prevented themselves from making comments about their time playing for Tomlin is loud enough.
Tomlin has been known for keeping his locker room in check, and players buying into his playbook and decision-making abilities. Some of their biggest stars have praised Tomlin over the years and said they wouldn't want to play for any other coach. But, that seems to not be an overwhelming belief in the locker room over the years.
"…There’s a huge disconnect, right? Because the national media is in love with Mike Tomlin,” Kinkhabwala said. "And the national media never brings up the playoff drought. And the national media never brings up all these wide receivers who can’t seem to behave one after another and another."
Fans can likely see why, considering what has transpired in recent years.
While the losing records don't show on his resume, this is a Steelers team that hasn't seen much success in the postseason. Specifically, they haven't won a playoff game since the 2016 season. That's nearly 10 years.
Not to mention, Tomlin is known to stick by his coaching staff, even if the results aren't there. Look no further than Tomlin's faith in former coordinator Matt Canada, who's play-calling yielded horrific results on offense.
Then, there's the team's quarterback conundrum since Ben Roethlisberger's retirement in 2022. The Steelers though Kenny Pickett was their quarterback of the future, but was phased out two years later. Mitchell Trubisky failed to keep Pickett off the field in 2022. Then, in 2024, the Steelers saw some early results from Justin Fields, who led them to a 4-2 record to start the season. However, Tomlin benched him for Russell Wilson, who played well up until the final five games of the season, including a Wild Card Round loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Now, they are trying Rodgers at quarterback in 2025. These quarterback moves did hold the team back, especially with how well their defense played during these years.
The noise on the outside doesn't mean much if the Steelers front office and ownership still have faith in him. But perhaps the pressure could increase due to this reported noise, and the team being unable to succeed with Rodgers, D.K. Metcalf, and Jalen Ramsey on the roster.