By now, the streak is more trivia than truth. 18 seasons. No losing records. To Mike Tomlin, it’s just something people say when they don’t know what else to say. “It’s a nice, cool thing for y’all to talk about,” he said at camp this week. “Or use as an intro when you’re talking about me. Or hope for my demise.” Tomlin is already 53. And while most coaches his age either burn out or lose the locker room, he’s still coaching like someone who has something to prove.

Since taking over in 2007, Tomlin has compiled a 183–107–2 regular-season record and an 8–11 playoff record, making him one of the most consistently successful coaches of his era. He’s led the Steelers to two Super Bowls, won one, and, of course, there’s his no-loss streak that he doesn’t care much about. Because, despite all that, Tomlin has never been named AP Coach of the Year. What lingers in his mind is the drought: Pittsburgh hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016. And that’s what the youngsters see.

Inside the Steelers locker room, his record barely moves the needle. In Tomlin’s view, it’s too far in the past to matter in a meaningful way. They see a coach. And that’s exactly how Tomlin wants it. Kyle Brandt found that out the direct way.

“You cannot hear the name Mike Tomlin in media without hearing that he’s never had a losing season,” Brandt said to him during an on-field camp sit-down. “What does that fact mean to you?” Tomlin didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink. “It doesn’t mean a lot as I sit here today.” He meant it. And then came the punchline, “Let’s be honest, okay? Like most of these guys that I coach, it doesn’t resonate with. You know, 19, 18 years ago, a lot of these guys were in car seats.”

Cold truth. And the more he spoke, the clearer it got. Tomlin isn’t sitting on his legacy. He’s coaching like none of it matters. Because in that room, to these players, it doesn’t. That also feels like an irony as the Steelers have the second-oldest roster in the 2025 season at 26.37 years. But strangely enough, their offense and defense aren’t among the top 5 oldest or youngest rosters in that category. That’s why he wants them to push together.

“Why would I, you know, put my business on this collective?” Tomlin said. “I’m just focused on this collective and what we can do together. I think I owe them that.” That quote also reflects the pain of not winning his second Super Bowl in the last 15 seasons. Out of the total 17 seasons in Pittsburgh, he only had 3 seasons with a 0.500 record; others were above it. That’s impressive, but not enough.

Because even after playing in 12 postseasons, there’s growing pressure. Tomlin’s last playoff win came in January 2017. So yeah, 183–107–2 overall is historic. But numbers did not impress the new wave in his locker room. They want rings of their own. Not reflections of his.

Even the coach wants to bring the trophy again. And he is actively pushing players in the training camp, without much success.

Mike Tomlin’s veteran QB fails to impress in the training camp

It started on Day One. First team period. First snap. And boom, Patrick Queen undercut DK Metcalf’s route and snatched Aaron Rodgers’ pass out of the air like it was gift-wrapped. That was Rodgers’ first real welcome to Pittsburgh. Not a handshake. Not a highlight. A pick. In traffic. In front of his teammates, fans, and cameras.

Many called it out, implying this is not what they brought A-Rod here for. And that’s the part that stings. Because you don’t trade for Rodgers to see him make rookie mistakes in July. But there he was, staring at Queen jogging the other way. A bad throw, a worse read, and a stunning introduction. By day three, it got louder.

Jalen Ramsey made sure of that. A lob toward Jonnu Smith. Late, soft, floating. And Ramsey, reading it like a seasoned novelist, launched himself up and picked it clean. Another interception, another groan, and another crack in Rodgers’ armor. The play wasn’t even subtle; it was a straight-up theft. The kind of moment that says more than the pick itself.

It says the defense knows what’s coming. And Rodgers? He looks like he doesn’t. This wasn’t one of those “miscommunication” plays you can wave off in August. This was an old quarterback trying to test a new defense and getting burned. Again. The throws are off. The rhythm isn’t there. And the body language? Telling.

Mike Tomlin didn’t even give him a pass on a botched snap during Seven Shots. “3-3,” he barked. Translation? Figure it out. And on the final rep? Rodgers tried to force a throw into the end zone. Nick Herbig swatted it away like he saw it coming two seconds earlier. That’s not a one-off. That’s a pattern.

The truth is, Aaron Rodgers isn’t walking into Pittsburgh as a savior. He’s walking in as a 41-year-old quarterback learning a new system, with new weapons, against a defense that smells blood. And unless the QB sharpens up fast, training camp might start writing a story he didn’t plan on starring in.