PITTSBURGH — More than three months after Mike Tomlin stunned the Pittsburgh Steelers by stepping down, the former head coach finally discussed some of the factors that went into his decision.
“It was probably not an overnight decision, but it’s probably not something I could articulate or share with people,” Tomlin said in an interview with NBC’s Maria Taylor during the network’s NBA pregame show. “There’s a loneliness with leadership. I just thought it was a good time for me, personally. And what I mean by that is just where I am in life.
“And I thought it was a good time for the organization, to be quite honest with you. We didn’t have a lot of success in the playoffs in recent years. There’s just some veteran players there — guys like Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt and (Chris) Boswell — that were worthy of the excitement and the optimism associated with new leadership.”
Hired by the Steelers ahead of the 2007 season, Tomlin went from the NFL’s youngest coach to the league’s longest-tenured coach. Famously, he never endured a losing season and compiled a 193-114-2 regular-season record. In his final victory at Acrisure Stadium, in Week 18 over the Baltimore Ravens, Tomlin tied legendary coach Chuck Noll’s franchise record for regular-season victories.
Within league circles, Tomlin remained one of the most well-respected men in football. He has regularly been voted the coach who players most want to play for — and until his very last day, he maintained the belief of the locker room. In the NFLPA report card that was leaked, the only solid A the Steelers got was for their head coach.
Tomlin led the Steelers to the playoffs in 13 of his 19 seasons and won eight AFC North titles, including this season. However, recent postseason disappointments complicated his legacy and caused his approval rating to decline dramatically in Pittsburgh. His playoff record stands at 8-12. The loss to the Houston Texans in January’s wild-card round marked Tomlin’s seventh consecutive postseason defeat and his final game as the Steelers head coach. Tomlin’s acknowledgement that the lack of postseason success and his desire for veterans to have the opportunity to enjoy it echoes some of what he told players during his final speech to the team.
As The Athletic reported previously, Tomlin will be joining NBC Sports’ Football Night in America as a studio analyst. The network officially announced the move on Sunday.
“I just thought it would be a great way to stay connected to the game and the awesome people in it — the players, the coaches, the executives,” Tomlin said. “Excited to be doing that on Sunday night and traveling to different venues and getting that feel for the environment. Lastly, I just thought it would be awesome to share insight with fellow football lovers.”
With the final question of the interview, Tomlin was asked his prediction for who will be the Steelers quarterback this season.
“Man, if you had a gun to my head, I’d say it’s (Aaron Rodgers),” Tomlin said. “Being around him for the 12 months I was around him, he’s got a love affair with the game of football. Not only the game, but the process. The informal moments. The development of younger guys. The connections with teammates. I think he’s got an addiction to that and there’s only one way to feed it. Certainly he is still capable and in really good shape. So I think at the end of the day, he’ll play football.”
As Tomlin gave this answer, you had to wonder, was he also talking about himself? He’s never necessarily been a fan of the media. Rather, he’s a football guy through and through. He also has that same addiction to the game. While he’s beginning a new chapter on TV, you have to wonder how long it will last before he starts thinking about a new job on the sidelines.