Mike Tomlin Gets Candid About Stepping Down From Steelers
After months of silence, Mike Tomlin finally discussed his decision to step down as the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach.
During a recent interview with NBC’s Maria Taylor, Tomlin said he chose that route because of the team’s lack of playoff success and because he believed many of the veteran players deserved a fresh start.
“It’s probably not an overnight decision,” Tomlin told Taylor during an interview that aired Sunday night via ESPN. “But it’s probably not something that I could articulate or share with people. There’s a loneliness with leadership. I just thought it was a good time for me, personally. And by that, I mean just where I am in life. And I thought it was a good time for the organization, to be quite honest with you. We didn’t have a lot of success in the playoffs in recent years.”
Although the Steelers reached the postseason, the franchise’s last playoff win came in 2016, while the team hasn’t reached the Super Bowl since 2010.
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Tomlin had the opportunity to continue his tenure with the Steelers, but felt it had run its course. He is now set to join NBC as an analyst for its Sunday night pregame show, “Football Night in America”, for next season.
It will keep him in proximity to the league, as he could likely get another shot at a head coach job next offseason.
Meanwhile, Tomlin believes that star quarterback Aaron Rodgers will return to the Steelers for another season.
“Man, if you got a gun to my head, I’d say it’s AR,” Tomlin said. “I just think, Aaron, I just think being around him for the 12 months that I’m around him, he’s got a love affair with the game of football and not only the game, but the process, the informal moments, the development of younger guys, the interaction with teammates. I think he has an addiction to that, and there’s only one way to feed it. And certainly, he is still capable and in really good shape. And so I think at the end of the day, he’ll play football.”
