Art Rooney to Fire Mike Tomlin? National Reporter Confirms Steelers’ Decision

“Save your time,” HC Mike Tomlin warned in January after speculations about him getting fired or traded ran wild. He was confident he would stay, and that very month, Steelers team president Art Rooney II expressed he had a complete belief in the coach. That was not out of character for a team that has employed only three head coaches since 1969. However, the firing rumors have not ended!

Take NFL insider, Mike Florio, for instance. He has been critical of Tomlin for years, and up until last month, Florio opined that the HC’s job security was at risk. “I’m not saying they will, but the level of desperation this year tells me if they fail again, we need to be ready for anything in 2026,” he opined, hinting that a bad upcoming season could impact the coaching staff. Has that opinion changed?

On the latest episode of NFL on NBC on YouTube, a fan questioned: “If the Steelers don’t have the season they want to, could Mike Tomlin be out? And if so, any possible destinations?” Answering this, Florio suggested:

“You know, I’ve mentioned this a few times, and I’ve talked to somebody who isn’t in the Steelers organization but has strong ties to it. Anytime the issue of Mike Tomlin being fired comes up, it provokes laughter. They’re never going to fire him.” Florio emphasized exactly what Art Rooney has stressed multiple times, that despite the recurring calls for the Steelers to move on from Mike Tomlin, both the president and the organization remain fully behind the coach whose contract runs through 2027.

Tomlin holds the record for the most consecutive non-losing seasons to begin a coaching career at a staggering 18 seasons. Furthermore, the Super Bowl-winning coach is one of the longest-tenured active coaches in the NFL. And it justifies the sentiment for the board that Rooney and Co. want Tomlin’s stability. The only way he leaves Pittsburgh is through his own choice; the Steelers do not intend to fire him. So Florio added:

“But the coach has necessarily a no-trade clause because all he has to say to the new team is, ‘I’m not interested.’ So, if some team comes sniffing around after this season, and if they are willing to make the Steelers an offer they won’t refuse, and if Tomlin is willing to make the change out, can you rule that out? No, you can’t rule that out. But that’s the only way it would happen. I don’t think the Steelers are going to fire him.”

But while the organizational leadership and external analysts remain steadfast in their support for Tomlin, and expect to see him reach the end of his contract, and definitely for this season, a more unsettling narrative is emerging from inside the locker room.

Mike Tomlin becomes the source of tension in the Steelers’ locker room

CBS’s Aditi Kinkhabwala revealed just days ago that “many, many, many” former Steelers players have privately admitted to “biting their tongues” about negative experiences under Tomlin; a stark contrast to his polished public image. The source of this tension comes from the fact that the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016, and adding in off-field trouble with multiple receivers paints a more complicated picture.

During a conversation with Pittsburgh’s 93.7 The Fan, Aditi Kinkhabwala revealed, “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 [Tomlin].” Reporter Gerry Dulac, through Joe Clark, emphasized that this very tension a day ago. He said, “When the Steelers and Mike Tomlin go their own ways, it’s gonna be up to Mike Tomlin. Unless the bottom falls out, and the bottom hasn’t fallen out, nor is it about to. So I think it’s gonna be up to when he wants to leave, is when that’s going to happen.”

So while the Rooney family and the national media continue to shield Mike Tomlin with praise and long-term backing, recent locker room developments reveal a growing undercurrent of player dissatisfaction, one where many former Steelers players have admitted to discomfort. But be it the team, the organization, or the players, they are all in a ‘win-now’ mode. The 2025 season isn’t just a proving ground for the roster; Tomlin must take control of the locker room. If he can’t close the gap between public acclaim and private confidence, the disconnect could become a story he cannot ignore. What do you think?