After all, the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers of 19 years has long been intentional with his words. He has long mastered the art of messaging, and his public comments often send indirect messages to his locker room.
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On Tuesday, however, that message came with a dose of ambiguity.
Tomlin spoke to reporters two days after the Steelers’ 26-7 home loss to the Buffalo Bills. He was asked about training in a stadium amid audible chants of “Fire Tomlin.”
What is it like for Tomlin to guide his team through the noise of calls for their work?
“In general, I agree with them,” Tomlin began. “From this perspective: Football is a game. We’re in the sports entertainment business. And if you root for the Steelers, entertaining them is winning. And when you’re not winning, it’s not entertaining. And if you’ve been in this business, you understand that.”
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Tomlin concluded: “And that’s why I respect him, I share his frustrations, I understand what makes this work and winning is what makes this work.”
That a coach maintains a winning level is nothing new.
For Tomlin, preaching the need to win is perhaps even less surprising: He survived 18 years as the Steelers’ head coach without his team finishing with a losing record.
And yet, at 6-6, facing the Baltimore Ravens this Sunday for the lead in the AFC North, the Steelers are in danger of breaking that streak.
Their defense will need to defend dual-threat Lamar Jackson much more confidently than the Steelers did last week against dual-threat Josh Allen and the Bills’ 26 unanswered points. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers will also need to rediscover an offensive rhythm, despite playing with a fractured left wrist on his non-throwing arm, which sidelined him for a week and prevented him from making plays under center last week.
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For Tomlin, who appeared to lead the charge in recruiting the now 42-year-old quarterback, all of this raises the question of whether his marriage to the Steelers will still make sense.
As the questions intensify, and Tomlin himself acknowledges that “Fire Tomlin” chants guarantee at least some agreement on his part, it’s worth considering: Will the Steelers and Tomlin decide it’s time for something new?
And if so, could a team that no longer has a head coach 360 miles to the east benefit?
The New York Giants and quarterback Jaxson Dart should hope so.
Jaxson Dart and Mike Tomlin are what each other needs
Few should question Tomlin’s ability to establish a culture, impose a schematic advantage and check the much-discussed “leader of men” box. His two Super Bowl appearances, including a Lombardi Trophy from the 2008 NFL season, will highlight his legacy.
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The Steelers’ 12 playoff berths in Tomlin’s 18 full seasons also confirm Tomlin’s winning record.
But the Steelers don’t cattle one playoff game since the 2016 season.
Their exact challenges have changed, but the biggest missing piece remains: a quarterback.
The Giants enter, stage right.
Could Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers part ways if this season goes poorly? (Photo by Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Sportswire icon via Getty Images)
The Giants fired head coach Brian Daboll 10 games into this season after a 20-40-1 (.336) record in 3 1/2 years. But they are widely viewed as the most attractive opening of the upcoming offseason, not only among the Giants and Tennessee Titans, who have already fired their head coaches, but also among the teams most likely to join that group. The Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders are among the teams whose results could determine whether they join that list. None would present a more attractive opening than the Giants.
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The Giants’ ownership, location and existing talent all contribute to that. Dart is Line 1.
The Giants selected the Ole Miss product 25th overall in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. They handed him the keys on September 28 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
New York has only won two games in his eight starts (a concussion sidelined him for additional weeks), but Dart has shown tantalizing potential.
He has completed 63.6% of pass attempts for 1,556 yards, 11 touchdowns and three interceptions. The physical quarterback ran for another 337 yards and seven touchdowns.
Like the Patriots’ 2024 draft pick Drake Maye last year, Dart’s potential extends far beyond his current winning record. What he needs most, as evidenced by his concerns about concussions and his frequent hits, is a coach who can instill in him a healthy sense of danger.
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No, the Giants shouldn’t (and probably couldn’t) get rid of Dart’s competitive nature that has fueled the entire franchise.
But Daboll’s inability to protect Dart from himself cost the coach his coaching job.
Tomlin, who has controlled players from Antonio Brown to now Rodgers on different fronts, has shown that ability.
Patriots’ success should force Giants to pursue Tomlin
The Giants’ series of fourth-quarter collapses this season seem to send mixed messages. Is this a shallow squad and too injured to win? (Receiver Malik Nabers and running back Cam Skattebo are among the players who suffered season-ending injuries.) Or are they a talented roster that needs a little more mental toughness and the seemingly cliché education on how to win?
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The Patriots made a bet closer to the latter when they hired a proven Mike Vrabel to elevate a roster that needed a coach but not a quarterback.
In Vrabel’s first year, they recovered from 4-13 to a league-best 11-2.
Don’t be surprised if Tomlin could produce similar results.
Tomlin’s availability, of course, is the biggest elephant in this room. He is under contract in Pittsburgh through the 2027 NFL season and many close to the Steelers believe the Rooney family would not fire him.
This is not an exact parallel to Vrabel, whom the Titans had fired a year earlier, nor to Andy Reid, who joined the Chiefs after the Philadelphia Eagles fired him for going 4-13 in his 14th season.
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But if the Rooneys are also ready for a change, or if Tomlin can convince them it’s time for a change, many around the league believe the Tomlin-Giants marriage makes too much sense. Coach and franchise have what the other needs.
The Giants might need to consider whether to part with a draft pick for Tomlin after moving back into the first round to acquire Dart. Perhaps the Rooneys would let Tomlin go as a thank you for his 19 years of service. Or perhaps the Mara and Rooney families, long close as some of football’s original owners, could reach a deal. The Denver Broncos traded a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 pick swap for Sean Payton and have only benefited from it.
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All of this seems to depend on Tomlin’s willingness to bring about change.
That’s far from a done deal, with four games left and a division title still within reach.
But Sunday’s game, relevant to the AFC North title, could be the next domino for Tomlin’s future.
And by choosing to partially endorse the fans’ “Fire Tomlin” chant, perhaps the Steelers coach himself is opening the door to an exit.
“Overall,” Tomlin said of the chants, “I agree with them.”