The Pittsburgh Steelers were 6-6 heading into Week 14 against the Baltimore Ravens, with the playoffs and head coach Mike Tomlin’s fate on the line. However, not everyone was limiting their vision to this season. Looking at the bigger picture, during a live edition of Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger on Sunday, the franchise legend said the quiet part out loud with a radical suggestion for the upcoming drafts.

“I would find a way to get a lineman, I would start at the line,” Roethlisberger declared after asking to see what their current rookie quarterback, Will Howard, can do. “Even if you have quarterbacks, get the best linemen, build your line, and then work your way to a quarterback.”

That philosophy does make sense when you watch Pittsburgh’s offensive line offer a mixed bag of performance this season.

Before the season began, the O-line had been the biggest concern, given that their primary signal caller is the veteran Aaron Rodgers. They’ve occasionally shown flashes of their reliability, giving the QB ample time and protection to make big plays. How can one forget the early-season pocket protection, where the broadcast counted down over six seconds the 42-year-old QB got before making a big play?

However, you cannot ignore the 20 sacks they’ve allowed so far for a loss of 130 yards. The unit has faltered in big moments and torpedoed offensive rhythm all season.

Interestingly, he’s not the only one who’s gone for that suggestion. Many mock drafts predict that the Steelers will improve their offense over their defense, whether Rodgers stays for another year or not.

As a whole, many mock drafts suggest offense to be the team’s target. They passed on a wide receiver in 2025 and are paying for it now, with DK Metcalf and Calvin Austin III being the only reliable receivers for Rodgers.

Carnell Tate out of Ohio State and Makai Lemon from USC are among the names connected to Pittsburgh at that position. QB Jordan Maiava from USC and OT Xavier Chaplin from Auburn are also projected to land in the Steel City. But this wasn’t the only take from Big Ben that might turn heads.

Roethlisberger doubles down on his Mike Tomlin take

Following last week’s Buffalo Bills game, when the crowd booed the Renegade and chanted “Fire Mike Tomlin,” whispers have been circulating about whether the head coach could really see the exit gate after all. The frustration was anticipated as the team fell to 6-6, losing five of its last seven games.

So, the Ravens game was more than just a fight to be alive in the playoff conversation; Tomlin’s fate is hanging in this final regular season month. Just then, Ben Roethlisberger suggested something almost unthinkable: Maybe the fans should root for the Ravens.

“As a fan, do you want the Steelers to go ahead and find a way to come back and make the playoffs?” he asked during the podcast. “’Cause what that does is it drops your draft stock down. For a lot of fans, they’re like, ‘It’s time to move on from [Mike] Tomlin.’ We’ve heard that talk all week. If they go 9-8 again or better, he wins again, and they go to the playoffs, they win one, he is not going anywhere regardless. I know it sounds crazy, but as a Steelers fan, are you rooting at all for Baltimore?”

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Here’s the thing: Roethlisberger’s logic isn’t outlandish, just uncomfortable.

A 9-8 playoff appearance will shut down all the “Fire Mike Tomlin” chants growing louder after their Week 13 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Win 3 and lose 2 of the last five, and Tomlin’s winning streak as head coach continues, along with his employment. And we already know what owner Art Rooney would be thinking…

Case in point, their 2024 season. The Steelers gave up their last five games, including one playoff appearance against the Ravens. However, when it came to deciding Tomlin’s fate, Rooney had a simple explanation: Did we win?

The team indeed ended with a 10-7 record, yet another successful regular season for Tomlin in Pittsburgh. However, the playoff drought is stinging the fans now. Moreover, if they do end up with yet another winning season, they will be pushed into draft purgatory again.

But here’s the tangent: Ben Roethlisberger cleared his stance, but his team wasn’t listening.

The Steelers went on to put a spectacular performance in a 27-22 win over the Ravens. Not only did Aaron Rodgers throw for 284 yards and a touchdown, but he also ran his first rushing touchdown since the 2022 season.

Even the O-line showed up, and Rodgers didn’t have a single sack on him all game, a feat they last managed in Week 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals. With the win, Pittsburgh took sole possession of first place in the AFC North, and Rodgers got to give his take once again…

“At least maybe you guys will shut the hell up for a week,” Rodgers said, targeting fans chanting for Tomlin’s exit last week.

While the Steelers showed up in Week 14 hungry for the playoff hunt, Roethlisberger’s thought didn’t appear in a vacuum. Just days earlier, he had suggested another big change for Pittsburgh: the end of Mike Tomlin’s 19-year historic stint in Steel City.

Ben Roethlisberger’s idea: a Steel City breakup

Mike Tomlin’s future in Steel City has been a big topic of discussion this past week, and Roethlisberger shared his own take on the matter: Not a firing, but a mutual parting. That’s what Big Ben suggested on his podcast recently.

“It’s been talked around here a lot. Maybe it is time to clean the house. Maybe it is, and I like Coach Tomlin. I have a lot of respect for coach Tomlin, but maybe it’s best for him too,” Roethlisberger said.

He also floated the idea that Tomlin remain in Pennsylvania and move to college football instead. Penn State is going through a desperate time trying to shore up its coaching staff, and Tomlin could fit there like a glove.

That’s heavy coming from a quarterback who played 15 seasons under Mike Tomlin. But he’s not alone.

Pittsburgh’s one-and-done playoff disasters from recent years have only made these calls louder. Coach Tomlin is listening, but it doesn’t mean he agrees. He’s already made his stance clear. Talking about the “Fire Tomlin” chants, he agreed with the frustrations, but he also knows how to make it all go away.

“If you root for the Steelers, entertaining them is winning,” Tomlin said about the chants. “If you’ve been in this business, you understand that. I respect that. I share frustrations. I understand what makes this thing go, and winning is what makes this thing go.”

The Steelers have now improved to 7-6 on the year after Week 14. Coach Tomlin certainly seems to be on the right trajectory. But if the momentum is lost in the last 4 games of the regular season, Ben Roethlisberger’s tank-strategy might force Pittsburgh to confront an uncomfortable truth: another wild-card exit changes nothing. Sometimes you just need to tear it down before you can build it back up. For now, we wait for Week 15 to see how that plays out.