Earlier this year, the NFL world was shocked when Mike Tomlin stepped down as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers after 19 seasons. While many former players publicly thanked him for his legendary career, former linebacker James Harrison stirred up controversy by claiming Tomlin doesn’t belong in the Hall of Fame. And now, former teammate Ryan Clark has jumped into the controversy on social media.

“I love @jharrison9292,” Clark wrote on X. “He’s my brother, but I disagree with the way he’s spoken about Mike Tomlin. After Mike T stepped away from coaching, James said he wasn’t a Hall of Famer because he has no coaching tree.”

James Harrison’s five straight Pro Bowl selections started when Tomlin took over the Steelers as head coach in 2007. The linebacker won his second Super Bowl ring and the only NFL Defensive Player of the Year award under Tomlin. But despite leading the Steelers to eight AFC North titles, Harrison wasn’t too impressed.

It wasn’t the first time Harrison had discounted Tomlin’s success. Just a few months ago, the 47-year-old didn’t mince his words following the Steelers’ Week 13 defeat to the Buffalo Bills, when the ‘Fire Mike Tomlin’ chants were echoing in the stadium.

“As much as I hate to say this, I have never been a person who thought Coach Tomlin was a great coach,” Harrison said. “Right now, the players we have on that team, I have seen play, I know they can do it. I have seen them do it. And they’re not playing up to their potential. And a great coach gets you to play beyond your potential.”

Eventually, the Steelers bounced back from that loss to the Bills and ended up winning the AFC North before their last playoff appearance and Tomlin’s subsequent resignation. As for Clark, he couldn’t help but accept some of Harrison’s claims.

“First off, Mike Tomlin is a Hall of Famer, but there’s validity to James’ statement on his coaching tree. He’s chosen older, more established coordinators. None of them has gone on to head coaching positions. He had so much to pass down. Wish there were more branches to his tree,” Ryan Clark wrote on his X account.

Looking back at what exactly transpired earlier this year, James Harrison, while speaking on a podcast episode of Deebo and Joe, argued that Tomlin’s 8–12 playoff record and his lack of a “coaching tree”, which means his assistant coaches rarely become head coaches elsewhere, are enough to disqualify him from the honor.

But despite such criticism, most people believe that Tomlin is a lock for the Hall of Fame. With over 190 wins and a Super Bowl title over nearly two decades of coaching, his overall success is a feat very few in football history have ever achieved. And commenting that Tomlin isn’t worthy of a gold jacket is straight-up disrespectful.

While players and pundits debate his Hall of Fame credentials, the Steelers organization is focused on the future after his surprising departure. Team owner Art Rooney II recently shed light on why the long-time coach decided to step away.

The reason Mike Tomlin resigned from the Steelers

Art Rooney II, the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, recently shared that while he didn’t expect Mike Tomlin to step down so suddenly, he wasn’t entirely surprised by the choice. Following a playoff loss to the Houston Texans on January 12, 2026, the two met for their annual end-of-season review. It was during this meeting that Tomlin revealed he was ready to move on.

“It was his decision. I will say that I wasn’t shocked, but I wasn’t expecting that conversation yesterday either. When you get to this stage of a career, he mentioned that he was nearer to the end than the beginning. So, you could see that coming. I can’t say that I was shocked.” Rooney II said while addressing the media.

The decision to leave was entirely Tomlin’s. After 19 years of the intense, year-round grind of the NFL, he decided to prioritize his family and personal life. He arrived in Pittsburgh in 2007 as a young, relatively unknown assistant coach and quickly proved he belonged among the greats.

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By choosing to step away now, he leaves the storied franchise with his reputation and dignity fully intact, having led the team through nearly two decades of consistent success. Tomlin’s departure is a landmark moment for the NFL. He was the league’s longest-tenured coach and a powerful symbol of what can happen when a team provides equal opportunity to talented leaders.

Even though Tomlin still had a contract through 2027, Rooney chose not to stand in his way, showing the deep respect the organization has for him. This marks only the fourth time the Steelers have had to hire a new head coach since 1969, a level of stability that is unheard of in professional sports.

As Tomlin prepares for a likely future in broadcasting or a well-deserved break, the Steelers have already begun their next chapter by hiring Mike McCarthy to take over the reins for the upcoming 2026 season.