Mike Tomlin already has Pittsburgh way out despite desperate Aaron Rodgers pleas for calm

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2025 season is over.

After suffering a blowout 30-6 defeat to the Houston Texans, the Steelers’ streak now extends to nine years without a win in the NFL playoffs.

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The Texans, spearheaded by quarterback CJ Stroud and the No. 1 ranked defense in the NFL, entered the contest as the league’s hottest team with a nine-game win streak.

But with the game taking place at Acrisure Stadium – home of the Steelers – and with a future Hall of Famer under center in Aaron Rodgers, there was belief that Pittsburgh could pull off an upset.

The Steelers trailed 7-6 at the half in an ugly contest dominated by defense, but were unable to tack on any additional points in the second half.

The Texans rallied for three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, two of which came from Steelers turnovers, with Rodgers’ potentially final play of an illustrious 21-year career being a pick six.

The Steelers have now lost each of their last seven playoff games dating back to the 2016 AFC Championship Game – when Barack Obama was still the President of the United States – which is the longest streak in the NFL.

Tomlin’s future cast into doubt

To add insult to injury, their last five postseason outings haven’t been at all competitive, losing by double-digit margins, with their latest defeat now potentially holding serious ramifications for head coach Mike Tomlin.

“I’m not even in that mindset as I sit here tonight,” Tomlin told the media postgame when asked about his future.

“I’m more in the mindset of what transpired in this stadium and certainly what we did and didn’t do, not a big picture mentality as I sit here tonight.”

Tomlin is the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL having just completed his 19th season at the helm of the Steel City outfit.

However, there is a possibility that he could suffer a similar fate to that of John Harbaugh, who was fired by the Baltimore Ravens after 18 seasons and a Super Bowl victory after an 8-9 losing season.

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It appears that the Steelers faithful have spoken, though, with the pressure on Tomlin having been mounting up as the season has progressed.

ESPN NFL reporter Brooke Pryor posted to X (formerly Twitter) during the Wild Card game in which she wrote, “Stands are emptying out and many of those staying behind are chanting Fire Tomlin.”

Social media responses from fans followed a similar trend with one user posting, “Dude doesn’t lose…unless its a playoff game.”

“How they have not FIRED him yet, I have ZERO clue,” a second commented, while a third added, “He really about to get fired. Thank you coach but it’s time.”

Rodgers voices support for Tomlin amid potential TV role

Rodgers, who mustered just 146 yards and an interception from 17-of-33 passing, voiced strong support for Tomlin after one season working together, before storming out of his press conference.

“This league has changed a lot in my 21 years,” the all-time great quarterback said post game.

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“You know, when you hear conversation about the Mike Tomlins of the world, Matt LaFleurs of the world – those are just two that I’ve played for – when I first got in the league, there wouldn’t be (a) conversation about whether those guys were on the hot seat...

“Obviously, Matt has done a lot of great things in Green Bay, and we had a lot of success. Mike T. has had more success than damn near anybody in the league for the last 19, 20 years. 

“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 that’s not how I would do things and not how the league used to be.” 

Should Tomlin get fired by the Steelers, or should he decide to step away of his own accord, he has a career in TV awaiting him.

With the charisma perfect for the studio, Tomlin could yet make the leap to TV where he could become either a lead game analyst like that of Tom Brady and Tony Romo.

Or, he could become a weekly studio analyst like that of Matt Ryan, who has just departed from his role at CBS Sports to become the President of Football at the Atlanta Falcons.

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