Mike Tomlin Steps Down as Steelers Head Coach

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers and head coach Mike Tomlin are no more. The two sides have parted ways, ending their 19-year run together after a Wild Card round loss to the Houston Texans. The head coach is stepping down, according to multiple reports.

The Steelers suffered their seventh consecutive first-round exit in the playoffs tying the longest streak in NFL history. Their 30-6 loss to the Texans marked their fifth game in the playoffs with a double-digit loss, setting another NFL record.

With the loss, the two sides have decided it's best to move in different directions.

Mike Tomlin has informed the team in their 2pm meeting that he’s stepping down, sources tell @AdamSchefter and @JFowlerESPN
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) January 13, 2026

A run that included a Super Bowl victory, another Super Bowl appearance and 19 consecutive seasons without a losing record is now over. Tomlin, who is just 53 years old, will now become the hottest name on the coaching market, while Pittsburgh becomes an attractive franchise looking for just their fourth coach.

After the game, Tomlin said he wasn't in the mindset to talk about his future, and didn't have much to offer to the fans in terms of support after the season ended.

"Again, when you don't get it done, words are cheap. It's about what you do or you don't do. I appreciate the question, but people talk too much in our business," Tomlin said. "You either do or you don't."

Jan 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin before an AFC Wild Card Round game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

The seasons had plenty of rough spots, with the worst being fans chanting "fire Tomlin" at Acrisure Stadium during the team's loss to the Buffalo Bills. From there, the team fought their way back into the playoffs, quieting the noise, but the realitity of the situation became much more real from that moment on.

The players didn't want to hear it. Many said heading into the playoffs that it felt good to play well for Tomlin, and after the loss, they shared that same sentiment.

"I mean, this League has changed a lot in my 21 years," quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. "You know, when you hear conversation about the Mike Tomlins of the world, Matt LaFleurs of the world, those are just two that I've played for. When I first got in the League, there wouldn't be conversation about whether those guys were on the hot seat. But the way that the League is covered now and the way that there's snap decisions and the validity given to the Twitter experts and all the experts on TV now who make it seem like they know what the hell they're talking about, to me that's an absolute joke. For either of those two guys to be on the hot seat is really apropos of where we're at as a society and as a League because obviously Matt has done a lot of great things in Green Bay, and we had a lot of success. Mike T. has had more success than damn near anybody in the League for the last 19, 20 years. More than that, though, when you have the right guy and the culture is right, you don't think about making a change. But there's a lot of pressure that comes from the outside, and obviously that sways decisions from time to time. But that's not how I would do things and not how the League used to be."

Still, it's time for a new era in Pittsburgh, and for Mike Tomlin. And after nearly two decades together, the NFL will see a new coach for the Steelers, and Tomlin coaching elsewhere in 2026.

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