There was a somber mood across the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday, January 13, when head coach Mike Tomlin told his team he was stepping down. Even the stoic Aaron Rodgers broke down in tears, in accordance with The Athletic.
Steelers beat author Mike DeFabo spoke with players, coaches and staff members across the team about that emotional meeting, reporting that Rodgers, 42, “through sobs, mustered a two-word message to deliver to his coach: ‘I’m sorry,’ several players heard him say. ‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’”
That’s according to what Rodgers told the media publicly prior to Tomlin, 53, making his decision. After the Steelers’ 30-6 playoff loss to the Houston Texans on Monday, January 12, the Steelers quarterback defended his coach after one other 12 months of coming up short.
“Mike T’s had more success than damn-near anybody within the league for the last 19-20 years,” he told reporters. “Greater than that, though, when you’ve the correct guy and the culture is correct, you don’t take into consideration making a change.”
Tomlin took over as Steelers head coach in 2007 and enjoyed immediate success, taking Pittsburgh to the playoffs in his first 12 months and winning the Super Bowl his second season. The Steelers finished .500 or higher every season under Tomlin, winning the AFC North eight times along the best way, however the franchise never returned to the NFL mountaintop.
With Pittsburgh winless within the playoffs since 2016, Tomlin (not to say some vocal Steelers fans) felt prefer it was time for a change.
“Within the business of the NFL, there’s consequences for not doing all your job,” he told his team, in accordance with The Athletic. “As an expert on this business, you’ve to live with those consequences. A few of us might be here next 12 months; a few of us won’t.”
Tomlin continued, “Guys, I need you to listen to this from me firs.I just met with Art Rooney and [general manager] Omar [Khan]. I believe it’s best for the organization for me to step down.”
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been within the NFL long enough to know when his performance isn’t getting it done. His head coach, Mike Tomlin, could say the identical. Asked how he would assess Rodgers’ game in Pittsburgh’s 25-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, November 9, , Tomlin, 53, was blunt. […]
“It felt like a funeral,” a staff member reportedly said. “I teared up. It’s like checking out your dad died.”
One player told The Athletic indicated he was surprised by Tomlin’s decision.
“You’re going to make me cry again,” he said, recalling the meeting. “I felt that the meeting was going to go completely different. When he said, ‘A few of us might be here and a few of us won’t, that’s after I was like, ‘Is that this guy really stepping down?’”
With the offseason now underway in Pittsburgh, Rodgers must now resolve his plans for next season. At 42 and now not under contract, he could simply retire. He could also wait and see who the Steelers hire to switch Tomlin and judge if he desires to run it back in Pittsburgh or try his hand elsewhere.
As for Tomlin, other NFL teams will certainly be excited about his services. If he doesn’t want to teach, Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reports TV networks might be lining up so as to add him to their broadcast team. Marchand says Fox could be the favourite to land Tomlin, but ESPN, NBC, CBS and Prime Video are also candidates.